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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

10.33.21 10.33.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.33.22

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

ताभिर्युत: श्रममपोहितुमङ्गसङ्ग-

घृष्टस्रज: स कुचकुङ्कुमरञ्जिताया: ।

गन्धर्वपालिभिरनुद्रुत आविशद् वा:

श्रान्तो गजीभिरिभराडिव भिन्नसेतु: ॥ २२ ॥

tābhir yutaḥ śramam apohitum aṅga-saṅga-

ghṛṣṭa-srajaḥ sa kuca-kuṅkuma-rañjitāyāḥ

gandharva-pālibhir anudruta āviśad vāḥ

śrānto gajībhir ibha-rāḍ iva bhinna-setuḥ

Translation

Lord Kṛṣṇa’s garland had been crushed during His conjugal dalliance with the gopīs and colored vermilion by the kuṅkuma powder on their breasts. To dispel the fatigue of the gopīs, Kṛṣṇa entered the water of the Yamunā, followed swiftly by bees who were singing like the best of the Gandharvas. He appeared like a lordly elephant entering the water to relax in the company of his consorts. Indeed, the Lord had transgressed all worldly and Vedic morality just as a powerful elephant might break the dikes in a paddy field.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Relieves the Gopīs’ Fatigue

1
Kṛṣṇa’s garland was crushed during His conjugal pastimes and colored by the kuṅkuma powder on the gopīs’ breasts.
2
He entered the Yamunā to dispel the gopīs’ fatigue. Bees followed swiftly, singing like the best of the Gandharvas.
3
The Lord appeared like a lordly elephant relaxing with his consorts. The translation compares His transgression of worldly and Vedic morality to a powerful elephant breaking the dikes of a paddy field.

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

Chapter 33: The Rāsa Dance

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When Mahārāja Parīkṣit heard the narration of Kṛṣṇa’s conjugal pastimes with the gopīs, which superficially resemble the activities of lusty, wanton persons, he expressed a doubt to the great devotee Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Śukadeva dispelled this doubt by stating, “Since Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the absolute enjoyer, such pastimes as these can never be contaminated by any fault.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.33