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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 26: Wonderful Kṛṣṇa
10.26.810.26.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.26.9

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

वत्सेषु वत्सरूपेण प्रविशन्तं जिघांसया । हत्वा न्यपातयत्तेन कपित्थानि च लीलया ॥ ९ ॥

vatseṣu vatsa-rūpeṇa

praviśantaṁ jighāṁsayā

hatvā nyapātayat tena

kapitthāni ca līlayā

Translation

Desiring to kill Kṛṣṇa, the demon Vatsa disguised himself as a calf and entered among Kṛṣṇa’s calves. But Kṛṣṇa killed the demon and, using his body, enjoyed the sport of knocking kapittha fruits down from the trees.

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 Turns Danger into Play

  1. 1

    The demon Vatsa disguised himself as a calf and entered among Kṛṣṇa’s calves.

  2. 2

    Although Vatsa intended to kill Him, Kṛṣṇa killed the demon.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa then used the demon’s body to knock kapittha fruits from the trees. He enjoyed this activity as a sport.

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. vatseṣuamong the calves
  2. vatsa-rūpeṇaappearing as if another calf
  3. praviśantamwho had entered
  4. jighāṁsayāwanting to kill
  5. hatvākilling him
  6. nyapātayatHe made to fall
  7. tenaby him
  8. kapitthānithe kapittha fruits
  9. caand
  10. līlayāas a sport
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 Kṛṣṇa’s playfulness amid this danger reveal to you about His extraordinary power?

Practice

Spend a minute recalling the verse’s movement from the demon’s hostile intention to Kṛṣṇa’s playful activity.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Turns Danger into PlayThis 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 10.26.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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