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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 10.26.1

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीशुक उवाच

एवंविधानि कर्माणि गोपा: कृष्णस्य वीक्ष्य ते । अतद्वीर्यविद: प्रोचु: समभ्येत्य सुविस्मिता: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

evaṁ-vidhāni karmāṇi

gopāḥ kṛṣṇasya vīkṣya te

atad-vīrya-vidaḥ procuḥ

samabhyetya su-vismitāḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The cowherd men were astonished when they saw Kṛṣṇa’s activities, such as lifting Govardhana Hill. Unable to understand His transcendental potency, they approached Nanda Mahārāja and spoke as follows.

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.

Wonder Leads to Humble Inquiry

  1. 1

    While Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill, the cowherd men simply enjoyed the spiritual bliss of His activities. Their perplexity arose afterwards.

  2. 2

    His extraordinary power suggested that He was the Supreme Lord Himself. Yet His hunger, playfulness and desire for their attention seemed like those of an ordinary child.

  3. 3

    Unable to settle their doubts, they approached the highly intelligent Nanda Mahārāja. They sought understanding by asking him about Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains this verse as follows: “During Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastime of lifting Śrī Govardhana Hill, the cowherd men simply enjoyed the spiritual bliss of the Lord’s activities without analyzing them.
  • At the time, we thought that these extraordinary acts occurred because of a benediction from the brāhmaṇas or because of Nanda Mahārāja’s great fortune, or that perhaps this boy had achieved the mercy of Lord Nārāyaṇa and was thus empowered by Him.
  • According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the cowherd men thus made up their minds, and then they entered Nanda Mahārāja’s great assembly hall and questioned him as described in the following verse.

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 26: Wonderful Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The men approached Nanda Mahārāja and told him that after seeing how Kṛṣṇa, a boy only seven years old, had lifted a mountain, and how He had previously killed the demoness Pūtanā and generated extreme attraction in the hearts of everyone in Vṛndāvana, the men had become doubtful and bewildered about how Śrī Kṛṣṇa could possibly have taken birth in the unsuitable environment of a cowherd community.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.26
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. evam-vidhānilike this
  3. karmāṇiactivities
  4. gopāḥthe cowherd men
  5. kṛṣṇasyaof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  6. vīkṣyaseeing
  7. tethey
  8. atat-vīrya-vidaḥunable to understand His power
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.26

    In this verse: “nanda”, “child”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.26

    In this verse: “understand”, “understanding”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What about Kṛṣṇa’s extraordinary power and childlike affection inspires you to inquire further?

Practice

Write down one sincere question you have about Kṛṣṇa’s activities.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayWonder Leads to Humble InquiryThis 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 10.26.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.