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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

10.39.22 10.39.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.39.23

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

सुखं प्रभाता रजनीयमाशिष:

सत्या बभूवु: पुरयोषितां ध्रुवम् ।

या: संप्रविष्टस्य मुखं व्रजस्पते:

पास्यन्त्यपाङ्गोत्कलितस्मितासवम् ॥ २३ ॥

sukhaṁ prabhātā rajanīyam āśiṣaḥ

satyā babhūvuḥ pura-yoṣitāṁ dhruvam

yāḥ saṁpraviṣṭasya mukhaṁ vrajas-pateḥ

pāsyanty apāṅgotkalita-smitāsavam

Translation

The dawn following this night will certainly be auspicious for the women of Mathurā. All their hopes will now be fulfilled, for as the Lord of Vraja enters their city, they will be able to drink from His face the nectar of the smile emanating from the corners of His eyes.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Joy of Seeing the Lord

1
The gopīs imagine an auspicious dawn for the women of Mathurā when the Lord of Vraja enters their city.
2
They say the women's hopes will be fulfilled by seeing His face.
3
The smile emanating from the corners of His eyes is described as nectar they will drink.

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

Chapter 39: Akrūra’s Vision

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

“It must be that fate is against us,” they lamented, “because otherwise the elders of Vraja would have forbidden Kṛṣṇa to leave. So let us forget our shyness and try to stop Lord Mādhava from going.”

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.39