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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 31: The Gopīs’ Songs of Separation
10.31.1110.31.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.31.12

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The gopīssince 10.31.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

दिनपरिक्षये नीलकुन्तलै-

र्वनरुहाननं बिभ्रदावृतम् ।

घनरजस्वलं दर्शयन् मुहु-

र्मनसि न: स्मरं वीर यच्छसि ॥ १२ ॥

dina-parikṣaye nīla-kuntalair

vanaruhānanaṁ bibhrad āvṛtam

ghana-rajasvalaṁ darśayan muhur

manasi naḥ smaraṁ vīra yacchasi

Translation

At the end of the day You repeatedly show us Your lotus face, covered with dark blue locks of hair and thickly powdered with dust. Thus, O hero, You arouse lusty desires in our minds.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Beautiful Face Awakens Longing

  1. 1

    At the end of the day, Kṛṣṇa repeatedly shows the gopīs His lotus face.

  2. 2

    His face is framed by dark blue locks of hair and thickly powdered with dust. These details fill the gopīs’ description of Him.

  3. 3

    The gopīs call Him their hero. They tell Him that seeing His face arouses their intimate desires for Him.

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 31: The Gopīs’ Songs of Separation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Remembering Your lotus face, adorned with locks of blackish hair smeared with the dust of the cows, we become irrevocably attached to You. And when we remember how You followed the cows from forest to forest with Your tender feet, we feel great pain.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.31
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dinaof the day
  2. parikṣayeat the finish
  3. nīladark blue
  4. kuntalaiḥwith locks of hair
  5. vana-ruhalotus
  6. ānanamface
  7. bibhratexhibiting
  8. āvṛtamcovered
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 10.31

    In this verse: “lusty”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which detail of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance draws your attention in this verse?

Practice

Read the description of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face slowly, then pause to remember it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Beautiful Face Awakens LongingThis 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 10.31.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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