1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

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 29: Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs Meet for the Rāsa Dance
10.29.2310.29.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.29.24

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.29.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

भर्तु: शुश्रूषणं स्त्रीणां परो धर्मो ह्यमायया ।

तद्बन्धूनां च कल्याण: प्रजानां चानुपोषणम् ॥ २४ ॥

bhartuḥ śuśrūṣaṇaṁ strīṇāṁ

paro dharmo hy amāyayā

tad-bandhūnāṁ ca kalyāṇaḥ

prajānāṁ cānupoṣaṇam

Translation

The highest religious duty for a woman is to sincerely serve her husband, behave well toward her husband’s family and take good care of her children.

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.

The Gopīs’ Real Husband Is Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa describes a woman’s highest religious duty as sincerely serving her husband, treating his family well and caring for her children.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the gopīs’ real, eternal husband. Their so-called husbands at home falsely considered them their property.

  3. 3

    Reading amāyayā as “without illusion” reveals the deeper conclusion: the gopīs’ supreme religious duty is to serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa, their real lover.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī astutely points out here that the gopīs’ real, eternal husband is Lord Kṛṣṇa, not their so-called husbands at home, who falsely considered the gopīs their property.
  • Thus a strict interpretation of the word amāyayā, “without illusion,” reveals that the supreme religious duty for the gopīs is to serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa, their real lover.

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:

After all, the prime religious duty of a woman is to serve her husband and children. For a respectable woman to consort with a paramour is totally contemptible and sure to obstruct her progress to heaven.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.29
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhartuḥof one’s husband
  2. śuśrūṣaṇamfaithful service
  3. strīṇāmfor women
  4. paraḥthe highest
  5. dharmaḥreligious duty
  6. hiindeed
  7. amāyayāwithout duplicity
  8. tat-bandhūnāmto the relatives of their husbands
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “religious”, “duty”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “children”

  • 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

How does the purport deepen my understanding of the gopīs’ service to Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Reread the purport and briefly reflect on its conclusion that the gopīs’ supreme duty is service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Gopīs’ Real Husband Is KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.29.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories