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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 26: Wonderful Kṛṣṇa
10.26.210.26.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.26.3

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

य: सप्तहायनो बाल: करेणैकेन लीलया । कथं

बिभ्रद् गिरिवरं पुष्करं गजराडिव ॥ ३ ॥

yaḥ sapta-hāyano bālaḥ

kareṇaikena līlayā

kathaṁ bibhrad giri-varaṁ

puṣkaraṁ gaja-rāḍ iva

Translation

How could this seven-year-old boy playfully hold up the great hill Govardhana with one hand, just as a mighty elephant holds up a lotus flower?

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.

Kṛṣṇa Lifts Govardhana with Ease

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa was only seven years old when He held up the great hill Govardhana.

  2. 2

    He held the hill with one hand and did so playfully. The cowherd men marveled at this extraordinary act.

  3. 3

    The verse compares His action to a mighty elephant holding a lotus flower. This comparison emphasizes how easily He lifted the hill.

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. yaḥwho
  2. sapta-hāyanaḥseven years of age
  3. bālaḥa boy
  4. kareṇawith a hand
  5. ekenaone
  6. līlayāplayfully
  7. kathamhow
  8. bibhratHe held up
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

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 does the image of an elephant holding a lotus help you appreciate about Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute remembering Kṛṣṇa playfully holding Govardhana with one hand.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Lifts Govardhana with EaseThis 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 10.26.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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