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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

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

10.30.41 10.30.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.30.42

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

ततोऽविशन्वनं चन्द्रज्योत्स्‍ना यावद् विभाव्यते ।

तम: प्रविष्टमालक्ष्य ततो निववृतु: स्त्रिय: ॥ ४२ ॥

tato ’viśan vanaṁ candra

jyotsnā yāvad vibhāvyate

tamaḥ praviṣṭam ālakṣya

tato nivavṛtuḥ striyaḥ

Translation

In search of Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs then entered the depths of the forest as far as the light of the moon shone. But when they found themselves engulfed in darkness, they decided to turn back.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Searching for Kṛṣṇa in the Forest

1
The gopīs searched for Kṛṣṇa deep in the forest, going as far as the moonlight reached.
2
They entered an area so dense that even the light of the full moon could not penetrate it.
3
Unable to see Kṛṣṇa’s footprints in that darkness, they decided to turn back from that area.

Key points from the purport

The gopīs entered a part of the forest so dense that even the light of the full moon couldn’t penetrate it.
This scene is also described in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
Therefore let us turn back from this area, which even the light of the moon cannot reach.’”

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

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.30