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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
10.31.610.31.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.31.7

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

प्रणतदेहिनां पापकर्षणं

तृणचरानुगं श्रीनिकेतनम् ।

फणिफणार्पितं ते पदाम्बुजं

कृणु कुचेषु न: कृन्धि हृच्छयम् ॥ ७ ॥

praṇata-dehināṁ pāpa-karṣaṇaṁ

tṛṇa-carānugaṁ śrī-niketanam

phaṇi-phaṇārpitaṁ te padāmbujaṁ

kṛṇu kuceṣu naḥ kṛndhi hṛc-chayam

Translation

Your lotus feet destroy the past sins of all embodied souls who surrender to them. Those feet follow after the cows in the pastures and are the eternal abode of the goddess of fortune. Since You once put those feet on the hoods of the great serpent Kāliya, please place them upon our breasts and tear away the lust in our hearts.

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.

The Mercy of Kṛṣṇa’s Lotus Feet

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet destroy the past sins of embodied souls who surrender to them.

  2. 2

    His mercy is shown even in going out to herd the cows, His feet following them through the grass. Those feet are also the abode of the goddess of fortune and have rested on Kāliya’s hoods.

  3. 3

    The gopīs draw on these examples of mercy to ask Him to place His feet upon their breasts. They pray that He tear away the lust in their hearts and satisfy their desire.

Key points from the purport
  • In their appeal, the gopīs point out that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet destroy the sins of all surrendered conditioned souls.
  • He has offered His lotus feet to the goddess of fortune and has placed them upon the hoods of the serpent Kāliya.
  • Therefore, considering all this, the Lord should place His lotus feet on the gopīs’ breasts and satisfy their desire.

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:

And when we remember how You followed the cows from forest to forest with Your tender feet, we feel great pain.” In their separation from Kṛṣṇa the gopīs considered a single moment an entire age.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.31
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. praṇatawho are surrendered to You
  2. dehināmof the embodied living beings
  3. pāpathe sins
  4. karṣaṇamwhich remove
  5. tṛṇagrass
  6. carawho graze (the cows)
  7. anugamfollowing
  8. śrīof the goddess of fortune
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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.31

    In this verse: “surrender”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.31

    In this verse: “lust”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.31

    In this verse: “sins”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How do these examples of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy encourage me to surrender to Him?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, asking Him to remove lust from your heart.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.31's connections

Live this todayThe Mercy of Kṛṣṇa’s Lotus FeetThis 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 10.31.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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