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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 39: Akrūra’s Vision
10.39.1310.39.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.39.14

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.39.8inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

काश्चित्तत्कृतहृत्तापश्वासम्‍लानमुखश्रिय: ।

स्रंसद्दुकूलवलयकेशग्रन्थ्यश्च काश्चन ॥ १४ ॥

kāścit tat-kṛta-hṛt-tāpa

śvāsa-mlāna-mukha-śriyaḥ

sraṁsad-dukūla-valaya

keśa-granthyaś ca kāścana

Translation

Some gopīs felt so pained at heart that their faces turned pale from their heavy breathing. Others were so anguished that their dresses, bracelets and braids became loose.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Love's Anguish Affects the Whole Person

  1. 1

    Some gopīs felt intense pain in their hearts at the news of Kṛṣṇa's departure.

  2. 2

    Their heavy breathing made their faces turn pale.

  3. 3

    Others were so anguished that their dresses, bracelets and braids became loose. Their distress affected even their outward appearance.

How it feels

Anxiety and conflict → Liberation and joy. Heroic victory is complicated by separation from Vraja.

Chapters 39–45 of Canto 10: Mathurā, Kaṁsa and reunion with parents. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 39: Akrūra’s Vision

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The cowherd men of Gokula followed behind on their wagons, and the young gopīs also walked behind for some distance, but then they became placated by Kṛṣṇa’s glances and gestures and pacified by a message from Him that said “I will return.” With their minds completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd girls stood as still as figures in a painting until they could no longer see the chariot’s flag or the dust cloud being raised on the road.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.39
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kāścitsome of them
  2. tatby that (hearing)
  3. kṛtacreated
  4. hṛtin their hearts
  5. tāpafrom the torment
  6. śvāsaby the sighing
  7. mlānamade pale
  8. mukhaof their faces
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.39

    In this verse: “distress”

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 this description help me appreciate the depth of the gopīs' love?

Practice

Read the verse slowly, noticing how each detail expresses the gopīs' pain.

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 10.39's connections

Live this todayLove's Anguish Affects the Whole PersonThis 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 10.39.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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