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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
10.33.3710.33.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.33.38

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

ब्रह्मरात्र उपावृत्ते वासुदेवानुमोदिता: ।

अनिच्छन्त्यो ययुर्गोप्य: स्वगृहान्भगवत्प्रिया: ॥ ३८ ॥

brahma-rātra upāvṛtte

vāsudevānumoditāḥ

anicchantyo yayur gopyaḥ

sva-gṛhān bhagavat-priyāḥ

Translation

After an entire night of Brahmā had passed, Lord Kṛṣṇa advised the gopīs to return to their homes. Although they did not wish to do so, the Lord’s beloved consorts complied with His command.

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.

Inconceivable Power and Loving Obedience

  1. 1

    An entire night of Brahmā—one thousand ages—passed within the single twelve-hour night of Kṛṣṇa's rāsa dance. Spiritual reality transcends mundane physics.

  2. 2

    Nothing is impossible for the Lord, His dear devotees, His transcendental abode or the time of His pastimes. All possess inconceivable power.

  3. 3

    Although the gopīs did not want to leave, they obeyed Kṛṣṇa and returned home. The purport explains both His advice to keep the pastimes secret and Vāsudeva's awakening of embarrassment and fear of their elders within their hearts.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus one thousand ages entered within a single twelve-hour night when Lord Kṛṣṇa performed His rāsa dance.
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī further explains that the word vāsudevānumoditāḥ indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa advised the gopīs, “To assure the success of these pastimes, you and I should keep them secret.”
  • The word vāsudeva, a name of Kṛṣṇa, also indicates Lord Kṛṣṇa’s plenary expansion who acts as the presiding Deity of consciousness.

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· 1

The purport of SB 10.33.38 quotesBG 8.17

In the Bhagavad-gītā (8.17) Lord Kṛṣṇa explains, “By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahmā’s one day.

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:

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. brahma-rātrethe nighttime of Brahmā
  2. upāvṛttebeing completed
  3. vāsudevaby Lord Kṛṣṇa
  4. anumoditāḥadvised
  5. anicchantyaḥunwilling
  6. yayuḥwent
  7. gopyaḥthe gopīs
  8. sva-gṛhānto their homes
  9. bhagavatof the Supreme Lord
  10. priyāḥthe dear consorts
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: “devotees”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.33

    In this verse: “fear”

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

What stands out to me about the gopīs’ willingness to obey Kṛṣṇa despite their reluctance to leave?

Practice

Reflect for one minute on the gopīs’ obedience, and express your own desire to follow the Lord's direction.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayInconceivable Power and Loving ObedienceThis 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 10.33.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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