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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 26: Wonderful Kṛṣṇa
10.26.1310.26.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.26.14

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The cowherd mensince 10.26.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

क्‍व सप्तहायनो बाल: क्‍व महाद्रिविधारणम् । ततो नो जायते शङ्का व्रजनाथ तवात्मजे ॥ १४ ॥

kva sapta-hāyano bālaḥ

kva mahādri-vidhāraṇam

tato no jāyate śaṅkā

vraja-nātha tavātmaje

Translation

On the one hand this boy is only seven years old, and on the other we see that He has lifted the great hill Govardhana. Therefore, O King of Vraja, a doubt about your son arises within us.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

A Young Boy’s Astonishing Deed

  1. 1

    The cowherd men saw Kṛṣṇa as a boy only seven years old.

  2. 2

    Yet they had also seen Him lift the great hill Govardhana.

  3. 3

    The contrast between His young age and this mighty deed raised a doubt about Him, which they expressed to the King of Vraja.

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. kvawhere, in comparison
  2. sapta-hāyanaḥseven years old
  3. bālaḥthis boy
  4. kvawhere
  5. mahā-adriof the great mountain
  6. vidhāraṇamthe lifting
  7. tataḥthus
  8. naḥfor us
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.26

    In this verse: “king”

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 question arises for you when you consider Kṛṣṇa’s young age alongside His lifting Govardhana?

Practice

Write down one sincere question about Kṛṣṇa prompted by this verse.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Young Boy’s Astonishing DeedThis 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 10.26.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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