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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
10.29.4110.29.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.29.42

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.29.42inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

इति विक्लवितं तासां श्रुत्वा योगेश्वरेश्वर: ।

प्रहस्य सदयं गोपीरात्मारामोऽप्यरीरमत् ॥ ४२ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

iti viklavitaṁ tāsāṁ

śrutvā yogeśvareśvaraḥ

prahasya sa-dayaṁ gopīr

ātmārāmo ’py arīramat

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Smiling upon hearing these despondent words from the gopīs, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme master of all masters of mystic yoga, mercifully enjoyed with them, although He is self-satisfied.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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 Self-Satisfied Lord Responds with Mercy

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa hears the gopīs’ despondent words and smiles upon them.

  2. 2

    He is the supreme master of all masters of mystic yoga. Yet He responds personally to the gopīs.

  3. 3

    Although He is self-satisfied, He mercifully enjoys with them. His response expresses mercy, not a lack within Himself.

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:

Wanting to please the gopīs, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is always satisfied in Himself, responded to their appeals by playing with them in various pastimes. But when this show of attention made them a little proud, He humbled them by suddenly disappearing from the arena of the rāsa dance.
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-śukaḥ uvācaŚukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. itiin these words
  3. viklavitamthe despondent expressions of
  4. tāsāmof them
  5. śrutvāhaving heard
  6. yoga-īśvara-īśvaraḥthe Lord of all lords of mystic power
  7. prahasyalaughing
  8. sa-dayammercifully
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “mercifully”, “mercy”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “hearing”

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 Kṛṣṇa’s merciful response reveal about His relationship with the gopīs?

Practice

Spend one minute remembering that the self-satisfied Lord responds mercifully to His devotees.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Self-Satisfied Lord Responds with MercyThis 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 10.29.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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