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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
  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 31: The Gopīs’ Songs of Separation
10.31.110.31.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.31.2

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

शरदुदाशये साधुजातसत्-

सरसिजोदरश्रीमुषा द‍ृशा ।

सुरतनाथ तेऽशुल्कदासिका

वरद निघ्नतो नेह किं वध: ॥ २ ॥

śarad-udāśaye sādhu-jāta-sat-

sarasijodara-śrī-muṣā dṛśā

surata-nātha te ’śulka-dāsikā

vara-da nighnato neha kiṁ vadhaḥ

Translation

O Lord of love, in beauty Your glance excels the whorl of the finest, most perfectly formed lotus within the autumn pond. O bestower of benedictions, You are killing the maidservants who have given themselves to You freely, without any price. Isn’t this murder?

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.

Freely Offered Devotion

  1. 1

    The autumn lotus has a special beauty, yet Kṛṣṇa’s glance surpasses even its finest loveliness.

  2. 2

    The gopīs describe themselves as maidservants who have given themselves to Him freely, without any price.

  3. 3

    Calling Him the bestower of benedictions, they ask whether His treatment of them is not killing them. Their appeal expresses the intensity of their longing.

Key points from the purport
  • In the autumn season, the whorl of the lotus has a special beauty, but that unique loveliness is surpassed by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s glance.

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 31: The Gopīs’ Songs of Separation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Because the gopīs had dedicated their minds and very lives to Kṛṣṇa, they were beside themselves with the transcendental pain of separation. But their crying, which appears like evidence of misery, actually shows their exalted state of transcendental bliss.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.31
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śaratof the autumn season
  2. uda-āśayein the reservoir of water
  3. sādhuexcellently
  4. jātagrown
  5. satfine
  6. sarasi-jaof the lotus flowers
  7. udarain the middle
  8. śrīthe beauty
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 10.31

    In this verse: “love”, “loveliness”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.31

    In this verse: “longing”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What can I learn from the gopīs’ offering of themselves without asking a price?

Practice

Offer one small act of service to Kṛṣṇa today without asking for anything in return.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFreely Offered DevotionThis 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 10.31.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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