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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
10.29.310.29.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.29.4

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.29.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit
A turning point forThe Gopīs of Vraja· The call of the flute

निशम्य गीतं तदनङ्गवर्धनंव्रजस्त्रिय: कृष्णगृहीतमानसा: । आजग्मुरन्योन्यमलक्षितोद्यमा:स यत्र कान्तो जवलोलकुण्डला: ॥ ४ ॥

niśamya gītāṁ tad anaṅga-vardhanaṁ

vraja-striyaḥ kṛṣṇa-gṛhīta-mānasāḥ

ājagmur anyonyam alakṣitodyamāḥ

sa yatra kānto java-lola-kuṇḍalāḥ

Translation

When the young women of Vṛndāvana heard Kṛṣṇa’s flute-song, which arouses romantic feelings, their minds were captivated by the Lord. They went to where their lover waited, each unknown to the others, moving so quickly that their earrings swung back and forth.

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 Flute Steals the Heart

  1. 1

    Hearing Kṛṣṇa’s flute-song, the young women of Vṛndāvana became captivated by Him. They hurried to meet Him, their earrings swinging as they moved.

  2. 2

    Each gopī apparently went secretly, hoping not to alert her rivals that Kṛṣṇa desired loving affairs. They went forward unknown to one another.

  3. 3

    The purport poetically describes the flute-song entering the treasure-chamber of their hearts. It stole their sobriety, shyness, fear, discrimination and minds, delivering everything to Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Apparently each gopī went secretly, hoping to avoid advertising to her rivals the fact that young Kṛṣṇa was in the mood for romantic affairs.
  • Now each gopī went to beg the Lord to return her personal property.
  • Each beautiful young girl was thinking, ‘I have to capture that great thief,’ and thus they went forward, each unknown to the 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:

When the gopīs heard the flute’s sound, the impulses of Cupid were violently aroused within them, and they immediately abandoned all their household duties and hastily went to Kṛṣṇa. 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.29
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. niśamyahearing
  2. gītamthe music
  3. tatthat
  4. anaṅgaCupid
  5. vardhanamwhich fortifies
  6. vraja-striyaḥthe young women of Vraja
  7. kṛṣṇaby Kṛṣṇa
  8. gṛhītaseized
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “heard”, “hearing”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

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

    In this verse: “lover”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “fear”

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 the image of Kṛṣṇa stealing the heart help me understand about the gopīs’ attraction to Him?

Practice

Reread the description of the flute-song entering the heart, then pause to remember Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Flute Steals the HeartThis 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 10.29.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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