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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.33.3

Who is speaking and story frame

रासोत्सव: सम्प्रवृत्तो गोपीमण्डलमण्डित: ।

योगेश्वरेण कृष्णेन तासां मध्ये द्वयोर्द्वयो: ।

प्रविष्टेन गृहीतानां कण्ठे स्वनिकटं स्त्रिय: ।

यं मन्येरन् नभस्तावद् विमानशतसङ्कुलम् ।

दिवौकसां सदाराणामौत्सुक्यापहृतात्मनाम् ॥ ३ ॥

rāsotsavaḥ sampravṛtto

gopī-maṇḍala-maṇḍitaḥ

yogeśvareṇa kṛṣṇena

tāsāṁ madhye dvayor dvayoḥ

praviṣṭena gṛhītānāṁ

kaṇṭhe sva-nikaṭaṁ striyaḥ

yaṁ manyeran nabhas tāvad

vimāna-śata-saṅkulam

divaukasāṁ sa-dārāṇām

autsukyāpahṛtātmanām

Translation

The festive rāsa dance commenced, with the gopīs arrayed in a circle. Lord Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself and entered between each pair of gopīs, and as that master of mystic power placed His arms around their necks, each girl thought He was standing next to her alone. The demigods and their wives were overwhelmed with eagerness to witness the rāsa dance, and they soon crowded the sky with their hundreds of celestial airplanes.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Personally Dances With Each Gopī

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself between each pair of gopīs so He could personally dance with each one. He also appeared in the middle of the circle, playing His flute and singing.

  2. 2

    Overwhelmed by love, each gopī saw only one manifestation of Kṛṣṇa and thought He stood beside her alone.

  3. 3

    The demigods and their wives could see all His manifestations from their airplanes. They were completely astonished.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura has written the following verse about the rāsa dance:
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura points out that the gopīs, maddened by love, were unable to understand that Śrī Kṛṣṇa had expanded Himself so He could personally dance with each of them.
  • The demigods and their wives, however, could see all His different manifestations as they watched the rāsa dance from their airplanes, and thus they were completely astonished.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 2

Quoted in the purport ofCC Ādi 1.72

This verse is also quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.33.3).

Quoted in the purport ofCC Ādi 1.73-74

This is another quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.33.3-4).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

Even after Lord Kṛṣṇa manifested Himself in numerous forms, each gopī thought He was standing next to her alone. Gradually the gopīs became fatigued from the continuous dancing and singing, and each of them placed her arm on the shoulder of the Kṛṣṇa standing beside her.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.33
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. rāsaof the rāsa dance
  2. utsavaḥthe festivity
  3. sampravṛttaḥcommenced
  4. gopī-maṇḍalaby the circle of gopīs
  5. maṇḍitaḥdecorated
  6. yogaof mystic power
  7. īśvareṇaby the supreme controller
  8. kṛṣṇenaLord Kṛṣṇa
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 10.33

    In this verse: “love”

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 Kṛṣṇa’s presence beside every gopī reveal His extraordinary power?

Practice

Reread the description of Kṛṣṇa’s expansions and pause to appreciate His power and personal attention.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Personally Dances With Each GopīThis 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 10.33.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.