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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 30: The Gopīs Search for Kṛṣṇa
10.30.2010.30.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.30.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.30.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

आरुह्यैका पदाक्रम्य शिरस्याहापरां नृप ।

दुष्टाहे गच्छ जातोऽहं खलानां ननु दण्डकृत् ॥ २१ ॥

āruhyaikā padākramya

śirasy āhāparāṁ nṛpa

duṣṭāhe gaccha jāto ’haṁ

khalānām nanu daṇḍa-kṛt

Translation

[Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] O King, one gopī climbed on another’s shoulders and, putting her foot on the other’s head, said, “Go away from here, O wicked snake! You should know that I have taken birth in this world just to punish the envious.”

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.

Remembering Kṛṣṇa’s Chastisement of Kāliya

  1. 1

    The gopīs enact Kṛṣṇa’s chastisement of Kāliya.

  2. 2

    One gopī climbs on another’s shoulders and places her foot on the other’s head, acting as Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    She tells the wicked snake to leave, declaring that she has taken birth to punish the envious.

Key points from the purport
  • Here the gopīs enact Kṛṣṇa’s chastisement of Kāliya.

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 30: The Gopīs Search for Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Further along the path the gopīs came to a place where they could no longer see Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s footprints; they then concluded that Kṛṣṇa must have taken Rādhārāṇī onto His shoulders. In another place they noticed that Kṛṣṇa’s footprints were showing only the toes, and thus the gopīs concluded He had been picking flowers with which to decorate His beloved.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. āruhyarising up
  2. ekāone of the gopīs
  3. padāwith her foot
  4. ākramyaclimbing above
  5. śirasithe head
  6. āhasaid
  7. aparāmto another
  8. nṛpaO King (Parīkṣit)
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.30

    In this verse: “king”

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 part of this scene helps you remember Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read the verse aloud once, remembering that the gopīs are enacting Kṛṣṇa’s chastisement of Kāliya.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.30's connections

Live this todayRemembering Kṛṣṇa’s Chastisement of KāliyaThis 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 10.30.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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