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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.25.20

Who is speaking and story frame

अथाह भगवान् गोपान्हेऽम्ब तात व्रजौकस: । यथोपजोषं विशत गिरिगर्तं सगोधना: ॥ २० ॥

athāha bhagavān gopān

he ’mba tāta vrajaukasaḥ

yathopajoṣaṁ viśata

giri-gartaṁ sa-go-dhanāḥ

Translation

The Lord then addressed the cowherd community: O Mother, O Father, O residents of Vraja, if you wish you may now come under this hill with your cows.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Shelter for Everyone Under Govardhana

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa warmly invited His mother, father and the residents of Vraja to come beneath the hill with their cows.

  2. 2

    Touched by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govardhana felt ecstasy and acquired inconceivable power. The hill experienced Indra’s deadly thunderbolts as soft, fragrant flowers, or did not notice them at all.

  3. 3

    Govardhana could shelter all three worlds, not merely Vraja. Even the animals and birds that climbed to its peaks experienced no distress.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura provides the following insight in this regard: Ordinarily a large cowherd community, which included many thousands of cows, calves, bulls and so on, could not fit under the base of a medium-sized hill like Śrī Govardhana.
  • At times Śrī Govardhana was not even aware that the thunderbolts were striking.
  • When Indra’s attack began and Kṛṣṇa lifted the hill, the deer, wild hogs, and other animals and birds standing on the hill’s flanks climbed up to its peaks, and even they did not experience the slightest distress.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Attraction and threat → Joy and trust. The pastoral world becomes the setting for protection and love.

Chapters 20–28 of Canto 10: Forest seasons, flute and Govardhana. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 25: Lord Kṛṣṇa Lifts Govardhana Hill

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He then invited the entire cowherd community to take shelter in the dry space beneath the mountain. For seven successive days He held up the hill, until Indra finally understood Kṛṣṇa’s mystic power and ordered the clouds to withdraw.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.25
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athathen
  2. āhaaddressed
  3. bhagavānthe Supreme Lord
  4. gopānthe cowherds
  5. heO
  6. ambamother
  7. tātaO father
  8. vraja-okasaḥO residents of Vraja
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.25

    In this verse: “mother”, “father”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.25

    In this verse: “ecstasy”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.25

    In this verse: “distress”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What helps me appreciate the care expressed in Kṛṣṇa’s invitation to take shelter?

Practice

Spend one minute remembering Kṛṣṇa’s invitation and the shelter He provided for the people and animals.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayShelter for Everyone Under GovardhanaThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 10.25.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.