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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 33: The Rāsa Dance
10.33.2010.33.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.33.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.33.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

गोप्य: स्फुरत्पुरटकुण्डलकुन्तलत्विड्-

गण्डश्रिया सुधितहासनिरीक्षणेन ।

मानं दधत्य ऋषभस्य जगु: कृतानि

पुण्यानि तत्कररुहस्पर्शप्रमोदा: ॥ २१ ॥

gopyaḥ sphurat-puraṭa-kuṇḍala-kuntala-tviḍ-

gaṇḍa-śriyā sudhita-hāsa-nirīkṣaṇena

mānaṁ dadhatya ṛṣabhasya jaguḥ kṛtāni

puṇyāni tat-kara-ruha-sparśa-pramodāḥ

Translation

The gopīs honored their hero with smiling glances sweetened by the beauty of their cheeks and the effulgence of their curly locks and glittering golden earrings. Overjoyed from the touch of His fingernails, they chanted the glories of His all-auspicious transcendental pastimes.

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.

Honor Kṛṣṇa by Singing His Glories

  1. 1

    The gopīs honored their hero with smiling glances, made beautiful by their cheeks, curly locks and glittering golden earrings.

  2. 2

    The touch of Kṛṣṇa’s fingernails filled them with joy.

  3. 3

    They expressed their joy by chanting the glories of His all-auspicious transcendental pastimes.

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 33: The Rāsa Dance

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is self-satisfied and fully endowed with inconceivable, transcendental opulences. When He exhibits such pastimes as the rāsa-līlā, all living beings, from Brahmā down to the blades of grass, become merged in the ocean of astonishment.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.33
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gopyaḥthe gopīs
  2. sphuratshining
  3. puraṭagolden
  4. kuṇḍalaof their earrings
  5. kuntalaand of the locks of their hair
  6. tviṭof the effulgence
  7. gaṇḍaof their cheeks
  8. śriyāby the 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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.33

    In this verse: “chanted”, “chanting”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.33

    In this verse: “sweetened”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can you express your appreciation for Kṛṣṇa through glorifying Him?

Practice

Read this translation aloud, then spend a minute praising Kṛṣṇa’s all-auspicious pastimes.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHonor Kṛṣṇa by Singing His GloriesThis 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 10.33.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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