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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.33.7

Who is speaking and story frame

पादन्यासैर्भुजविधुतिभि: सस्मितैर्भ्रूविलासै-

र्भज्यन्मध्यैश्चलकुचपटै: कुण्डलैर्गण्डलोलै: ।

स्विद्यन्मुख्य: कवररसनाग्रन्थय: कृष्णवध्वो

गायन्त्यस्तं तडित इव ता मेघचक्रे विरेजु: ॥ ७ ॥

pāda-nyāsair bhuja-vidhutibhiḥ sa-smitair bhrū-vilāsair

bhajyan madhyaiś cala-kuca-paṭaiḥ kuṇḍalair gaṇḍa-lolaiḥ

svidyan-mukhyaḥ kavara-rasanāgranthayaḥ kṛṣṇa-vadhvo

gāyantyas taṁ taḍita iva tā megha-cakre virejuḥ

Translation

As the gopīs sang in praise of Kṛṣṇa, their feet danced, their hands gestured, and their eyebrows moved with playful smiles. With their braids and belts tied tight, their waists bending, their faces perspiring, the garments on their breasts moving this way and that, and their earrings swinging on their cheeks, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s young consorts shone like streaks of lightning in a mass of clouds.

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.

The Gopīs’ Art Expresses Their Love

  1. 1

    The gopīs sang in praise of Kṛṣṇa and placed their dancing steps artistically and gracefully. Their smiling expressions and movements of their eyebrows were charming with love.

  2. 2

    They expertly used mudrās, precise hand gestures expressing feelings and meanings. Sometimes they moved their interlocked arms with Kṛṣṇa, and sometimes they separated their arms to act out their songs.

  3. 3

    The gopīs shone like lightning in clouds; their perspiration resembled mist and their singing resembled thunder. The purport also explains that their tightly tied hair and belts gradually loosened.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that according to the analogy of lightning flashing in clouds, the perspiration on the lovely faces of the gopīs resembled drops of mist, and their singing resembled thunder.
  • Thus sometimes Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs would artistically move their interlocked arms together, and sometimes they would separate arms and exhibit mudrās to act out the meaning of the songs they were singing.
  • The word pāda-nyāsaiḥ indicates that the gopīs artistically and gracefully placed the steps of their dancing feet in an enchanting way, and the words sa-smitair bhrū-vilāsair indicate that the romantic movements of their eyebrows, smiling with love, were most charming to behold.

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:

The gopīs became intoxicated with their enthusiasm to enjoy the rāsa dance, and thus they began satisfying Kṛṣṇa’s senses by singing, dancing and gesturing amorously. The sweet voices of the gopīs filled all the directions.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.33
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pādaof their feet
  2. nyāsaiḥby the placement
  3. bhujaof their hands
  4. vidhutibhiḥby the gestures
  5. sa-smitaiḥsmiling
  6. bhrūof their eyebrows
  7. vilāsaiḥby the playful movements
  8. bhajyanbending
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”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.33

    In this verse: “separated”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.33

    In this verse: “gracefully”

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 did the gopīs make their artistic skill an expression of love for Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read aloud one phrase praising Kṛṣṇa, giving attention to its meaning rather than merely its sound.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Gopīs’ Art Expresses Their 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 10.33.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.