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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 29: Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs Meet for the Rāsa Dance
10.29.10-1110.29.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.29.12

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 10.29.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीपरीक्षिदुवाच

कृष्णं विदु: परं कान्तं न तु ब्रह्मतया मुने । गुणप्रवाहोपरमस्तासां गुणधियां कथम् ॥ १२ ॥

śrī-parīkṣid uvāca

kṛṣṇaṁ viduḥ paraṁ kāntaṁ

na tu brahmatayā mune

guṇa-pravāhoparamas

tāsāṁ guṇa-dhiyāṁ katham

Translation

Śrī Parīkṣit Mahārāja said: O sage, the gopīs knew Kṛṣṇa only as their lover, not as the Supreme Absolute Truth. So how could these girls, their minds caught up in the waves of the modes of nature, free themselves from material attachment?

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.

Ask Questions to Clear Others’ Doubts

  1. 1

    Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked how the gopīs could become free from material attachment when they knew Kṛṣṇa as their lover rather than as the Supreme Absolute Truth.

  2. 2

    The King thoroughly understood Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s meaning. He noticed doubts in the expressions of some materialistic listeners.

  3. 3

    He presented himself as having a doubt so that the doubts of others could be removed. His question served those who needed a clearer understanding of the gopīs’ love.

Key points from the purport
  • King Parīkṣit was sitting in an assembly of great sages and other important personalities, listening to the words of Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
  • According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, as Śukadeva began speaking of the gopīs’ conjugal love for Kṛṣṇa, the King noticed the expressions on the faces of some of the more materialistic persons present there and realized the doubt lurking in their hearts.
  • Therefore, although the King thoroughly knew the purport of Śukadeva’s words, he presented himself as experiencing personal doubt so that he could eradicate the doubt of others.

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

Separation → Transcendental intimacy. The peak of longing reveals the intensity of selfless love.

Chapters 29–33 of Canto 10: The gopīs' yearning, reunion and rasa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 29: Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs Meet for the Rāsa Dance

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

All the gopīs had purely spiritual bodies, but when some of the gopīs’ husbands and other family members stopped the young girls from going, Lord Kṛṣṇa arranged for them to temporarily exhibit material bodies, which they then left at the sides of their husbands. In this way they deceived their relatives and went off to meet Kṛṣṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.29
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-parīkṣit uvācaŚrī Parīkṣit said
  2. kṛṣṇamLord Kṛṣṇa
  3. viduḥthey knew
  4. paramonly
  5. kāntamas their beloved
  6. nanot
  7. tubut
  8. brahmatayāas the Absolute Truth
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “attachment”, “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “absolute truth”, “understanding”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “lover”

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 could help me understand the gopīs’ love without confusing it with material attachment?

Practice

Write down one sincere question you have about the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAsk Questions to Clear Others’ DoubtsThis 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 10.29.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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