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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 41: Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Enter Mathurā

10.40.30 10.41.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.41.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.41.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

स्तुवतस्तस्य भगवान् दर्शयित्वा जले वपु: ।

भूय: समाहरत् कृष्णो नटो नाट्यमिवात्मन: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

stuvatas tasya bhagavān

darśayitvā jale vapuḥ

bhūyaḥ samāharat kṛṣṇo

naṭo nāṭyam ivātmanaḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: While Akrūra was still offering prayers, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa withdrew His form that He had revealed in the water, just as an actor winds up his performance.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Withdraws His Revealed Form

1
While Akrūra was still offering prayers, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa withdrew the form He had revealed in the water.
2
The vision included the Viṣṇu form, the spiritual sky and its eternal inhabitants.
3
Kṛṣṇa withdrew this vision just as an actor winds up his performance.

Key points from the purport

Lord Kṛṣṇa withdrew from Akrūra’s sight the Viṣṇu form along with the vision of the spiritual sky and its eternal inhabitants.

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

Chapter 41: Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Enter Mathurā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After showing His Viṣṇu form to Akrūra in the waters of the Yamunā and receiving Akrūra’s prayers, Lord Kṛṣṇa withdrew that vision just as an actor winds up his performance. Akrūra emerged from the water and in great amazement approached the Lord, who asked him whether he had seen something wonderful while bathing.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.41