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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
10.33.3610.33.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.33.37

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.33.29inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नासूयन् खलु कृष्णाय मोहितास्तस्य मायया ।

मन्यमाना: स्वपार्श्वस्थान्स्वान्स्वान्दारान् व्रजौकस: ॥ ३७ ॥

nāsūyan khalu kṛṣṇāya

mohitās tasya māyayā

manyamānāḥ sva-pārśva-sthān

svān svān dārān vrajaukasaḥ

Translation

The cowherd men, bewildered by Kṛṣṇa’s illusory potency, thought their wives had remained home at their sides. Thus they did not harbor any jealous feelings against Him.

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.

Yoga-māyā Protects the Gopīs’ Love

  1. 1

    The cowherd men thought their wives remained beside them and felt no jealousy toward Kṛṣṇa. The purport explains that Māyā supplied doubles in their place.

  2. 2

    Because the gopīs loved Kṛṣṇa exclusively, Yoga-māyā always protected their relationship with Him. They are the Lord's internal energy and can never belong to another living being.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa arranged their apparent marriages to create the excitement of parakīya-rasa, love between a married woman and her paramour. These pastimes are absolutely pure, and saintly persons have long relished them as supreme spiritual events.

Key points from the purport
  • Because the gopīs loved Kṛṣṇa exclusively, Yoga-māyā protected their relationship with the Lord at all times, even though they were married.
  • Thus these men never actually had any intimate contact with the divine ladies of Vraja.”
  • The gopīs are the internal energy of the Lord and can never belong to any other living being.

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 33: The Rāsa Dance

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When out of His mercy He exhibits His intimate pastimes to His devotees, these activities are never besmirched by mundane imperfection. Any living being who hears of the spontaneous loving attraction the gopīs felt for Lord Kṛṣṇa will have his desires for material sense gratification destroyed at the root and will develop his natural propensity for serving the Supreme Lord, the spiritual master, and the Lord’s devotees.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.33
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. na asūyanwere not jealous
  2. khalueven
  3. kṛṣṇāyaagainst Kṛṣṇa
  4. mohitāḥbewildered
  5. tasyaHis
  6. māyayāby the spiritual potency of illusion
  7. manyamānāḥthinking
  8. sva-pārśvaat their own sides
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: “loved”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.33

    In this verse: “māyā”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.33

    In this verse: “protected”

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 understanding the gopīs as the Lord's internal energy help me view their love as spiritual?

Practice

Write one sentence summarizing why the purport describes these pastimes as absolutely pure.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayYoga-māyā Protects the Gopīs’ LoveThis 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 10.33.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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