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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
10.39.2010.39.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.39.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The gopīssince 10.39.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

क्रूरस्त्वमक्रूरसमाख्यया स्म न-

श्चक्षुर्हि दत्तं हरसे बताज्ञवत् ।

येनैकदेशेऽखिलसर्गसौष्ठवं

त्वदीयमद्राक्ष्म वयं मधुद्विष: ॥ २१ ॥

krūras tvam akrūra-samākhyayā sma naś

cakṣur hi dattaṁ harase batājña-vat

yenaika-deśe ’khila-sarga-sauṣṭhavaṁ

tvadīyam adrākṣma vayaṁ madhu-dviṣaḥ

Translation

O Providence, though you come here with the name Akrūra, you are indeed cruel, for like a fool you are taking away what you once gave us — those eyes with which we have seen, even in one feature of Lord Madhudviṣa’s form, the perfection of your entire creation.

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.

Eyes Find Their Purpose in Seeing Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The gopīs saw the perfection of the entire creation in even one feature of Lord Madhudviṣa's form.

  2. 2

    They did not care to see anything but Kṛṣṇa. If He left Vṛndāvana, their eyes would seem to have no function.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa's departure was thus like blindness to them. In their distress, they called Akrūra cruel, though his name means “not cruel.”

Key points from the purport
  • The gopīs did not care to see anything but Kṛṣṇa; therefore if Kṛṣṇa left Vṛndāvana, their eyes would have no function.
  • Thus Kṛṣṇa’s departure was blinding these poor girls, and in their distress they berated Akrūra, whose name means “not cruel,” as cruel indeed.

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

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:

They said that Akrūra did not deserve his name ( a, “not”; krūra, “cruel”), since he was so cruel to be taking away their dearmost Kṛṣṇa. “It must be that fate is against us,” they lamented, “because otherwise the elders of Vraja would have forbidden Kṛṣṇa to leave.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.39
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. krūraḥcruel
  2. tvamyou (are)
  3. akrūra-samākhyayāby the name Akrūra (which means “not cruel”)
  4. smacertainly
  5. naḥour
  6. cakṣuḥeyes
  7. hiindeed
  8. dattamgiven
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

What does the gopīs' sense of losing their sight reveal about their devotion?

Practice

Reflect for one minute on the gopīs' vision of all beauty's perfection in Kṛṣṇa.

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 todayEyes Find Their Purpose in Seeing 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 10.39.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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