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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
10.29.1710.29.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.29.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.29.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीभगवानुवाच

स्वागतं वो महाभागा: प्रियं किं करवाणि व: । व्रजस्यानामयं कच्चिद् ब्रूतागमनकारणम् ॥ १८ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

svāgataṁ vo mahā-bhāgāḥ

priyaṁ kiṁ karavāṇi vaḥ

vrajasyānāmayaṁ kaccid

brūtāgamana-kāraṇam

Translation

Lord Kṛṣṇa said: O most fortunate ladies, welcome. What may I do to please you? Is everything well in Vraja? Please tell Me the reason for your coming here.

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’s Welcome Playfully Bewilders the Gopīs

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa welcomed the gopīs as most fortunate ladies. He asked how He could please them and whether everything was well in Vraja.

  2. 2

    He knew perfectly well why they had come, since He Himself had called them with His flute. His questions were playful teasing, not a lack of knowledge.

  3. 3

    The gopīs had simply responded to His call, desiring conjugal love with Him. His questions therefore bewildered them.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa knew perfectly well why the gopīs had come.
  • So Kṛṣṇa was simply teasing the gopīs by asking them, “Why have you come here so quickly?
  • The gopīs were Kṛṣṇa’s young lovers, and therefore these questions certainly bewildered them, for they had responded to Kṛṣṇa’s call with the simple mentality of enjoying conjugal love with Him.

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:

When the gopīs came before Lord Kṛṣṇa, He asked, “Why have you come? It is not good for you to travel to such a place in the dead of the night, for this forest is full of violent creatures.
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-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. su-āgatamwelcome
  3. vaḥto you
  4. mahā-bhāgāḥO most fortunate ladies
  5. priyampleasing
  6. kimwhat
  7. karavāṇimay I do
  8. vaḥfor you
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”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

How does knowing that Kṛṣṇa Himself called the gopīs help me understand His questions?

Practice

Reread Kṛṣṇa’s welcome alongside the purport, noticing the difference between His words and His playful intention.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Welcome Playfully Bewilders the GopīsThis 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 10.29.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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