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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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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
10.31.1610.31.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.31.17

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

रहसि संविदं हृच्छयोदयं

प्रहसिताननं प्रेमवीक्षणम् ।

बृहदुर: श्रियो वीक्ष्य धाम ते

मुहुरतिस्पृहा मुह्यते मन: ॥ १७ ॥

rahasi saṁvidaṁ hṛc-chayodayaṁ

prahasitānanaṁ prema-vīkṣaṇam

bṛhad-uraḥ śriyo vīkṣya dhāma te

muhur ati-spṛhā muhyate manaḥ

Translation

Our minds are repeatedly bewildered as we think of the intimate conversations we had with You in secret, feel the rise of lust in our hearts and remember Your smiling face, Your loving glances and Your broad chest, the resting place of the goddess of fortune. Thus we experience the most severe hankering for You.

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.

Remembering Kṛṣṇa Deepens the Gopīs’ Longing

  1. 1

    The gopīs remember their intimate conversations with Kṛṣṇa in secret. These memories stir desire in their hearts.

  2. 2

    They recall His smiling face, His loving glances and His broad chest, the resting place of the goddess of fortune.

  3. 3

    These recollections repeatedly bewilder their minds. They experience the most severe hankering 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:

They sang, “O Lord, O lover, O cheater, when we remember Your smile, Your loving glances and Your pastimes with Your boyhood friends, we become extremely agitated. Remembering Your lotus face, adorned with locks of blackish hair smeared with the dust of the cows, we become irrevocably attached to You.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.31
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. rahasiin private
  2. saṁvidamconfidential discussions
  3. hṛt-śayaof lust in the heart
  4. udayamthe rise
  5. prahasitasmiling
  6. ānanamface
  7. premaloving
  8. vīkṣaṇamglances
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: “lust”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How do the remembered details of Kṛṣṇa deepen the gopīs’ longing?

Practice

Pause for a moment today to remember Kṛṣṇa’s smiling face as described in this verse.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemembering Kṛṣṇa Deepens the Gopīs’ 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 10.31.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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