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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 33: The Rāsa Dance
10.33.710.33.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.33.8

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

उच्चैर्जगुर्नृत्यमाना रक्तकण्ठ्यो रतिप्रिया: ।

कृष्णाभिमर्शमुदिता यद्गीतेनेदमावृतम् ॥ ८ ॥

uccair jagur nṛtyamānā

rakta-kaṇṭhyo rati-priyāḥ

kṛṣṇābhimarśa-muditā

yad-gītenedam āvṛtam

Translation

Eager to enjoy conjugal love, their throats colored with various pigments, the gopīs sang loudly and danced. They were overjoyed by Kṛṣṇa’s touch, and they sang songs that filled the entire universe.

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.

Follow the Gopīs in Praising Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Overjoyed by Kṛṣṇa’s touch, the gopīs sang loudly as they danced. Their songs filled the entire universe.

  2. 2

    The Saṅgīta-sāra states that the gopīs manifested sixteen thousand principal rāgas, or musical modes. These subsequently spread throughout the world.

  3. 3

    Even today, devotees throughout the world sing Kṛṣṇa’s praises, following the example of the gopīs.

Key points from the purport
  • Among these rāgas are sixteen thousand principal ones, which were manifested by the gopīs.”
  • Thus the gopīs created sixteen thousand different rāgas, or musical modes, and these have subsequently been disseminated throughout the world.
  • The words yad-gītenedam āvṛtam also indicate that even today devotees throughout the world sing the praises of Kṛṣṇa, following the example of the gopīs.

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 sweet voices of the gopīs filled all the directions. Even after Lord Kṛṣṇa manifested Himself in numerous forms, each gopī thought He was standing next to her alone.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.33
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. uccaiḥloudly
  2. jaguḥthey sang
  3. nṛtyamānāḥwhile dancing
  4. raktacolored
  5. kaṇṭhyaḥtheir throats
  6. raticonjugal enjoyment
  7. priyāḥdedicated to
  8. kṛṣṇa-abhimarśaby the touch of Lord 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”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

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 can you follow the gopīs’ example of singing Kṛṣṇa’s praises?

Practice

Spend one minute singing Kṛṣṇa’s praises as a small act of devotional service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.33's connections

Live this todayFollow the Gopīs in Praising KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.33.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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