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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 33: The Rāsa Dance
10.33.2210.33.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.33.23

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

सोऽम्भस्यलं युवतिभि: परिषिच्यमान:

प्रेम्णेक्षित: प्रहसतीभिरितस्ततोऽङ्ग ।

वैमानिकै: कुसुमवर्षिभिरीड्यमानो

रेमे स्वयं स्वरतिरत्र गजेन्द्रलील: ॥ २३ ॥

so ’mbhasy alaṁ yuvatibhiḥ pariṣicyamānaḥ

premṇekṣitaḥ prahasatībhir itas tato ’ṅga

vaimānikaiḥ kusuma-varṣibhir īdyamāno

reme svayaṁ sva-ratir atra gajendra-līlaḥ

Translation

My dear King, in the water Kṛṣṇa found Himself being splashed on all sides by the laughing gopīs, who looked at Him with love. As the demigods worshiped Him by showering flowers from their airplanes, the self-satisfied Lord took pleasure in playing like the king of the elephants.

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.

The Self-Satisfied Lord Enjoys Loving Play

  1. 1

    The laughing gopīs splashed Kṛṣṇa from all sides and looked at Him with love.

  2. 2

    The demigods worshiped Him by showering flowers from their airplanes.

  3. 3

    Although satisfied within Himself, the Lord took pleasure in this play, like the king of the elephants.

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. saḥHe
  2. ambhasiin the water
  3. alamvery much
  4. yuvatibhiḥby the girls
  5. pariṣicyamānaḥbeing splashed
  6. premṇāwith love
  7. īkṣitaḥglanced upon
  8. prahasatībhiḥby them, who were laughing
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.33

    In this verse: “worshiped”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

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

    In this verse: “love”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.33

    In this verse: “king”

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 does the Lord’s self-satisfaction shape your understanding of His loving play?

Practice

Reread the translation slowly, noticing both the gopīs’ love and the demigods’ worship.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Self-Satisfied Lord Enjoys Loving PlayThis 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 10.33.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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