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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.30.23

Who is speaking and story frame

बद्धान्यया स्रजा काचित्तन्वी तत्र उलूखले ।

बध्नामि भाण्डभेत्तारं हैयङ्गवमुषं त्विति ।

भीता सुद‍ृक् पिधायास्यं भेजे भीतिविडम्बनम् ॥ २३ ॥

baddhānyayā srajā kācit

tanvī tatra ulūkhale

badhnāmi bhāṇḍa-bhettāraṁ

haiyaṅgava-muṣaṁ tv iti

bhītā su-dṛk pidhāyāsyaṁ

bheje bhīti-viḍambanam

Translation

One gopī tied up her slender companion with a flower garland and said, “Now I will bind this boy who has broken the butter pots and stolen the butter.” The second gopī then covered her face and beautiful eyes, pretending to be afraid.

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.

Remembering Kṛṣṇa’s Playful Pastimes

  1. 1

    One gopī ties her slender companion with a flower garland.

  2. 2

    She acts out binding the boy who has broken the butter pots and stolen the butter.

  3. 3

    Her companion covers her face and beautiful eyes, pretending to be afraid.

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:

In yet another spot the gopīs saw signs that led them to imagine that Śrī Kṛṣṇa had been tying the locks of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s hair. All these thoughts brought pain to the gopīs’ minds.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. baddhātied up
  2. anyayāby another gopī
  3. srajāwith a flower garland
  4. kācitone gopī
  5. tanvīslender
  6. tatrathere
  7. ulūkhaleto the grinding mortar
  8. badhnāmiI am binding
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.30

    In this verse: “afraid”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.30

    In this verse: “companion”

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 do the gopīs’ gestures show their attention to Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes?

Practice

Reread the verse and recall its three details: the garland, the broken butter pots, and the covered eyes.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemembering Kṛṣṇa’s Playful PastimesThis 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 10.30.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.