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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
10.39.3610.39.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.39.37

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.39.31inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ता निराशा निववृतुर्गोविन्दविनिवर्तने ।

विशोका अहनी निन्युर्गायन्त्य: प्रियचेष्टितम् ॥ ३७ ॥

tā nirāśā nivavṛtur

govinda-vinivartane

viśokā ahanī ninyur

gāyantyaḥ priya-ceṣṭitam

Translation

The gopīs then turned back, without hope that Govinda would ever return to them. Full of sorrow, they began to spend their days and nights chanting about the pastimes of their beloved.

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.

Chanting About Kṛṣṇa in Separation

  1. 1

    The gopīs turned back without hope that Govinda would ever return to them.

  2. 2

    They were full of sorrow over separation from their beloved.

  3. 3

    They spent their days and nights chanting about His pastimes. Their sorrow did not end their remembrance of Him.

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:

After the two Lords had gotten back into the chariot, Akrūra took Their permission to bathe in the Yamunā. As he recited Vedic mantras, he was startled to see the two Lords standing in the water.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.39
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tāḥthey
  2. nirāśāḥwithout hope
  3. nivavṛtuḥturned back
  4. govinda-vinivartaneof Govinda’s returning
  5. viśokāḥextremely sorrowful
  6. ahanīthe days and nights
  7. ninyuḥthey spent
  8. gāyantyaḥchanting
  9. priyaof their beloved
  10. ceṣṭitamabout the activities
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.39

    In this verse: “chanting”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.39

    In this verse: “separation”

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 might the gopīs’ chanting encourage you to remember Kṛṣṇa during sorrow?

Practice

Spend a minute speaking or singing about one of Kṛṣṇa’s activities described in these verses.

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 todayChanting About Kṛṣṇa in SeparationThis 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 10.39.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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