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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 29: Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs Meet for the Rāsa Dance
10.29.1610.29.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.29.17

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.29.13inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ता द‍ृष्ट्वान्तिकमायाता भगवान् व्रजयोषित: । अवदद् वदतां श्रेष्ठो वाच: पेशैर्विमोहयन् ॥ १७ ॥

tā dṛṣṭvāntikam āyātā

bhagavān vraja-yoṣitaḥ

avadad vadatāṁ śreṣṭho

vācaḥ peśair vimohayan

Translation

Seeing that the girls of Vraja had arrived, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the best of speakers, greeted them with charming words that bewildered their minds.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Greets the Gopīs with Charming Words

  1. 1

    The girls of Vraja arrived near Lord Kṛṣṇa, and He greeted them.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa is the best of speakers. His charming words bewildered the gopīs’ minds.

  3. 3

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī continues the narration only after establishing the spiritual nature of the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Having established the spiritual nature of the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī proceeds with his narration.

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. tāḥthem
  2. dṛṣṭvāseeing
  3. antikamnearby
  4. āyātāḥarrived
  5. bhagavānthe Supreme Lord
  6. vraja-yoṣitaḥthe girls of Vraja
  7. avadatHe spoke
  8. vadatāmof speakers
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

  • Prema · Transcendental love

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

    In this verse: “love”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “narration”

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

Why is it important to remember the spiritual nature of the gopīs’ love as I continue reading?

Practice

Before reading further, pause and recall that this meeting concerns spiritual love for Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Greets the Gopīs with Charming WordsThis 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 10.29.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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