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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
10.30.3910.30.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.30.40

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.30.40inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

अन्विच्छन्त्यो भगवतो मार्गं गोप्योऽविदूरित: ।

दद‍ृशु: प्रियविश्लेषान्मोहितां दु:खितां सखीम् ॥ ४० ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

anvicchantyo bhagavato

mārgaṁ gopyo ’vidūritaḥ

dadṛśuḥ priya-viśleṣān

mohitāṁ duḥkhitāṁ sakhīm

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: While continuing to search out Kṛṣṇa’s path, the gopīs discovered their unhappy friend close by. She was bewildered by separation from Her lover.

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.

The Gopīs Find Their Sorrowful Friend

  1. 1

    The gopīs continue searching along Kṛṣṇa’s path.

  2. 2

    Nearby, they discover their unhappy friend.

  3. 3

    She is bewildered by separation from Her beloved. Their continuing search brings them to Her in this sorrowful condition.

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:

All the gopīs then went out to look for Kṛṣṇa in the forest, going as far as the moonlight reached. But in the end they were unsuccessful, so they went back to the shore of the Yamunā and simply sang Kṛṣṇa’s glories in utter helplessness.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. anvicchantyaḥsearching out
  3. bhagavataḥof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. mārgamthe path
  5. gopyaḥthe gopīs
  6. avidūritaḥnot far away
  7. dadṛśuḥsaw
  8. priyafrom Her beloved
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

  • Prema · Transcendental love

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

    In this verse: “lover”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.30

    In this verse: “separation”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

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

    In this verse: “friend”

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 does this meeting help me notice about the sorrow of separation described here?

Practice

Read the verse slowly, giving attention both to the searching gopīs and to their unhappy friend.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Gopīs Find Their Sorrowful FriendThis 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 10.30.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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