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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 39: Akrūra’s Vision
10.39.3710.39.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.39.38

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

भगवानपि सम्प्राप्तो रामाक्रूरयुतो नृप ।

रथेन वायुवेगेन कालिन्दीमघनाशिनीम् ॥ ३८ ॥

bhagavān api samprāpto

rāmākrūra-yuto nṛpa

rathena vāyu-vegena

kālindīm agha-nāśinīm

Translation

My dear King, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, traveling as swiftly as the wind in that chariot with Lord Balarāma and Akrūra, arrived at the river Kālindī, which destroys all sins.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Transcendental Feelings of Separation

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa traveled with Lord Balarāma and Akrūra in a chariot as swift as the wind.

  2. 2

    They reached the river Kālindī, which destroys all sins.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that Kṛṣṇa secretly lamented His separation from the gopīs. These transcendental feelings belong to His supreme pleasure potency.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī comments that Lord Kṛṣṇa secretly lamented His separation from the gopīs.
  • These transcendental feelings of the Lord are part of His supreme pleasure potency.

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:

Akrūra came out of the river and returned to the chariot — where he saw the Lords still sitting. Then he returned to the water to find out if the two figures he had seen there were real or not.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.39
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhagavānthe Supreme Lord
  2. apiand
  3. samprāptaḥarrived
  4. rāma-akrūra-yutaḥtogether with Balarāma and Akrūra
  5. nṛpaO King (Parīkṣit)
  6. rathenaby the chariot
  7. vāyulike the wind
  8. vegenaswift
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

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

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

    In this verse: “separation”, “lamented”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.39

    In this verse: “king”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.39

    In this verse: “sins”

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 knowing that Kṛṣṇa also felt separation deepen your understanding of His relationship with the gopīs?

Practice

Reflect for one minute that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that His feelings of separation are transcendental.

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 todayKṛṣṇa’s Transcendental Feelings of 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 10.39.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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