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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

10.30.26 10.30.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.30.27

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The gopīssince 10.30.27inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कस्या: पदानि चैतानि याताया नन्दसूनुना ।

अंसन्यस्तप्रकोष्ठाया: करेणो: करिणा यथा ॥ २७ ॥

kasyāḥ padāni caitāni

yātāyā nanda-sūnunā

aṁsa-nyasta-prakoṣṭhāyāḥ

kareṇoḥ kariṇā yathā

Translation

[The gopīs said:] Here we see the footprints of some gopī who must have been walking along with the son of Nanda Mahārāja. He must have put His arm on Her shoulder, just as an elephant rests His trunk on the shoulder of an accompanying she-elephant.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognizing Kṛṣṇa’s Affectionate Companionship

1
The gopīs identify another gopī’s footprints beside those of the son of Nanda Mahārāja.
2
They conclude that Kṛṣṇa must have rested His arm on Her shoulder as They walked.
3
They compare this closeness to an elephant resting his trunk on the shoulder of an accompanying she-elephant.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.30

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

kasyāḥof one certain gopī
padānithe footprints
caalso
etānithese
yātāyāḥwho was going
nanda-sūnunātogether with the son of Nanda Mahārāja
aṁsaupon whose shoulder
nyastaplaced

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
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.30
In this verse: “nanda”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the gopīs’ description help you notice about Kṛṣṇa’s affection?

Practice

Pause for a minute over the image of Kṛṣṇa walking with His arm on His companion’s shoulder.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRecognizing Kṛṣṇa’s Affectionate CompanionshipThis 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 10.30.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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