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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 38: Akrūra’s Arrival in Vṛndāvana
10.38.1610.38.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.38.17

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.38.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

समर्हणं यत्र निधाय कौशिक-

स्तथा बलिश्चाप जगत्‍त्रयेन्द्रताम् ।

यद्वा विहारे व्रजयोषितां श्रमं

स्पर्शेन सौगन्धिकगन्ध्यपानुदत् ॥ १७ ॥

samarhaṇaṁ yatra nidhāya kauśikas

tathā baliś cāpa jagat-trayendratām

yad vā vihāre vraja-yoṣitāṁ śramaṁ

sparśena saugandhika-gandhy apānudat

Translation

By offering charity to that lotus hand, Purandara and Bali earned the status of Indra, King of heaven, and during the pleasure pastimes of the rāsa dance, when the Lord wiped away the gopīs’ perspiration and removed their fatigue, the touch of their faces made that hand as fragrant as a sweet flower.

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 Tenderness of Kṛṣṇa’s Lotus Hand

  1. 1

    By offering charity to the Lord’s lotus hand, Purandara and Bali earned the status of Indra, King of heaven.

  2. 2

    During the rāsa dance, Kṛṣṇa wiped away the gopīs’ perspiration and relieved their fatigue.

  3. 3

    Contact with the gopīs’ faces made His hand fragrant like the saugandhika lotus found in Mānasa-sarovara Lake.

Key points from the purport
  • The Purāṇas call the lotus found in the Mānasa-sarovara Lake a saugandhika.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus hand acquired the fragrance of this flower by coming in contact with the beautiful faces of the gopīs.
  • This specific incident, which occurred during the rāsa-līlā, is described in the Thirty-third Chapter of the Tenth Canto.

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

Attachment → Impending loss. The approach of departure gives pastoral love a poignant edge.

Chapters 34–38 of Canto 10: Further Vraja events and Akrūra's arrival. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 38: Akrūra’s Arrival in Vṛndāvana

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Although Kaṁsa is an enemy of the Supreme Lord and His devotees, still, it is by Kaṁsa’s grace that I will get this great boon of seeing the Lord. When I first catch sight of His lotus feet, all my sinful reactions will be destroyed at once.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.38
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. samarhaṇamthe respectful offering
  2. yatrainto which
  3. nidhāyaby placing
  4. kauśikaḥPurandara
  5. tathāas well as
  6. baliḥBali Mahārāja
  7. caalso
  8. āpaattained
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 10.38

    In this verse: “sweet”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.38

    In this verse: “king”

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 does Kṛṣṇa’s care for the gopīs reveal to me about His tenderness?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute remembering Kṛṣṇa’s lotus hand relieving the gopīs’ fatigue.

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 10.38's connections

Live this todayThe Tenderness of Kṛṣṇa’s Lotus HandThis 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 10.38.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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