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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 43: Kṛṣṇa Kills the Elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa
10.43.810.43.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.43.9

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.43.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

स पर्यावर्तमानेन सव्यदक्षिणतोऽच्युत: । बभ्राम भ्राम्यमाणेन गोवत्सेनेव बालक: ॥ ९ ॥

sa paryāvartamānena

savya-dakṣiṇato ’cyutaḥ

babhrāma bhrāmyamāṇena

go-vatseneva bālakaḥ

Translation

As Lord Acyuta held on to the elephant’s tail, the animal tried to twist away to the left and to the right, making the Lord swerve in the opposite direction, as a young boy would swerve when pulling a calf by the tail.

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.

The Lord Moves Like a Young Boy

  1. 1

    Lord Acyuta continued holding the elephant’s tail as the animal tried to twist free.

  2. 2

    The elephant turned left and right, making the Lord swerve in the opposite direction.

  3. 3

    The scene is compared to a young boy swerving while pulling a calf by the tail.

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 mighty elephant grabbed at Kṛṣṇa with his trunk, but the Lord struck back and then disappeared from the beast’s sight among his legs. Enraged at not being able to see Kṛṣṇa, Kuvalayāpīḍa sought Him out with his sense of smell and seized Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.43
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥHe
  2. paryāvartamānenawith him (the elephant) who was being moved around
  3. savya-dakṣiṇataḥto the left and then the right
  4. acyutaḥLord Kṛṣṇa
  5. babhrāmamoved also
  6. bhrāmyamāṇenatogether with him who was being moved
  7. go-vatsenawith a calf
  8. ivajust as
  9. bālakaḥa young boy
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

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 does the comparison with a young boy help me appreciate about the Lord’s movements?

Practice

Reread the comparison with the boy and calf, then briefly recall the Lord’s movements with devotional attention.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Moves Like a Young BoyThis 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 10.43.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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