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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
  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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.43.20

Who is speaking and story frame

निरीक्ष्य तावुत्तमपूरुषौ जनामञ्चस्थिता नागरराष्ट्रका नृप । प्रहर्षवेगोत्कलितेक्षणानना:पपुर्न तृप्ता नयनैस्तदाननम् ॥ २० ॥

nirīkṣya tāv uttama-pūruṣau janā

mañca-sthitā nāgara-rāṣṭrakā nṛpa

praharṣa-vegotkalitekṣaṇānanāḥ

papur na tṛptā nayanais tad-ānanam

Translation

O King, as the citizens of the city and the people from outlying districts gazed upon those two Supreme Personalities from their seats in the galleries, the force of the people’s happiness caused their eyes to open wide and their faces to blossom. They drank in the vision of the Lords’ faces without becoming satiated.

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.

Joy in Beholding the Supreme Lords

  1. 1

    Citizens and people from outlying districts gazed at the two Supreme Personalities from the galleries.

  2. 2

    The force of their happiness opened their eyes wide and made their faces blossom.

  3. 3

    They drank in the vision of the Lords’ faces without becoming satisfied that they had seen enough.

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 43: Kṛṣṇa Kills the Elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The people declared that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma must be two expansions of the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa who had descended into the house of Vasudeva. Cāṇūra then stepped forward and challenged Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to wrestle, saying King Kaṁsa wished to see such a match.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.43
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nirīkṣyaseeing
  2. tauboth of Them
  3. uttama-pūruṣauthe Supreme Personalities
  4. janāḥthe people
  5. mañcain the viewing galleries
  6. sthitāḥsitting
  7. nāgarathe city-dwellers
  8. rāṣṭrakāḥand the people from outlying districts
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.43

    In this verse: “king”, “citizens”

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 touches you about the people’s desire to keep beholding the Lords?

Practice

Read this verse slowly and spend a moment remembering the joy of gazing upon the Lords’ faces.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayJoy in Beholding the Supreme LordsThis 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 10.43.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.