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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
10.29.45-4610.29.48

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.29.47

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.29.42inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एवं भगवत: कृष्णाल्लब्धमाना महात्मन: ।

आत्मानं मेनिरे स्त्रीणां मानिन्यो ह्यधिकं भुवि ॥ ४७ ॥

evaṁ bhagavataḥ kṛṣṇāl

labdha-mānā mahātmanaḥ

ātmānaṁ menire strīṇāṁ

māninyo hy adhikaṁ bhuvi

Translation

The gopīs became proud of themselves for having received such special attention from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and each of them thought herself the best woman on earth.

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.

Separation Deepens Appreciation of Kṛṣṇa’s Company

  1. 1

    Receiving special attention from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, each gopī thought herself the best woman on earth.

  2. 2

    They were proud because they had attained the greatest of all personalities as their lover. In this sense, they were proud of Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    Their pride was a pretense created by Kṛṣṇa’s pastime potency to intensify their love through separation. Direct contact is not fully appreciated until separation has been experienced.

Key points from the purport
  • The gopīs were proud because they had attained as their lover the greatest of all personalities.
  • So in a sense they were proud of Kṛṣṇa.
  • Also, the pride of the gopīs was a pretense created by Kṛṣṇa’s pastime potency in order to intensify their love for Him through separation.

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:

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. evamin this way
  2. bhagavataḥfrom the Personality of Godhead
  3. kṛṣṇātLord Kṛṣṇa
  4. labdhareceiving
  5. mānāḥspecial respect
  6. mahā-ātmanaḥfrom the Supreme Soul
  7. ātmānamthemselves
  8. menirethey considered
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “proud”, “pride”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

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

    In this verse: “lover”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “separation”

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 change your understanding of the gopīs’ pride?

Practice

Write one sentence explaining how the gopīs’ pride was connected with their love for Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeparation Deepens Appreciation of Kṛṣṇa’s CompanyThis 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 10.29.47? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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