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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
10.30.3310.30.35-36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.30.34

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.30.34inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

रेमे तया चात्मरत आत्मारामोऽप्यखण्डित: ।

कामिनां दर्शयन् दैन्यं स्त्रीणां चैव दुरात्मताम् ॥ ३४ ॥

reme tayā cātma-rata

ātmārāmo ’py akhaṇḍitaḥ

kāmināṁ darśayan dainyaṁ

strīṇāṁ caiva durātmatām

Translation

[Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with that gopī, although He enjoys only within, being self-satisfied and complete in Himself. Thus by contrast He showed the wretchedness of ordinary lusty men and hardhearted women.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Love Is Free from Material Lust

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa is self-satisfied and complete in Himself. His loving activities take place on the liberated platform, without selfish desire or material lust.

  2. 2

    The path of developing love for Kṛṣṇa requires freedom from illicit sex, gambling, intoxication, and eating meat, fish or eggs. His pure beauty is perceived by the soul’s eye, anointed with love of Godhead.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Absolute Truth, is the source of pure spiritual beauty and romance. The goal is to develop love for Him, and truly realizing His pastimes frees one from sexual desire.

Key points from the purport
  • Yet while Lord Kṛṣṇa is inconceivable to ordinary persons, those who love Him can easily realize the absolute, pure nature of His activities.
  • When one is freed from material lust and rises to the liberated platform, beyond material desire, one realizes the absolute beauty of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • Therefore the Vedic literature repeatedly stresses that only those freed from material desire can see the beauty of Lord Kṛṣṇa with the eye of the pure soul, anointed with love of Godhead.

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:

But just then Lord Kṛṣṇa disappeared from Her sight. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, extremely troubled, then began looking everywhere for Him, and when She finally met Her gopī girlfriends She related to them what had happened.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. remeHe enjoyed
  2. tayāwith Her
  3. caand
  4. ātma-rataḥHe who takes pleasure only within Himself
  5. ātma-ārāmaḥcompletely self-satisfied
  6. apialthough
  7. akhaṇḍitaḥnever incomplete
  8. kāmināmof ordinary lusty men
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.30

    In this verse: “lusty”, “lust”, “material”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.30

    In this verse: “love”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.30

    In this verse: “absolute truth”

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

Am I approaching Kṛṣṇa’s activities as pure spiritual love rather than ordinary material romance?

Practice

Review the four regulative principles named in the purport and choose one concrete way to support your faithful observance today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Love Is Free from Material LustThis 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.

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