1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.46.49

Who is speaking and story frame

किं साधयिष्यत्यस्माभिर्भर्तु: प्रीतस्य निष्कृतिम् ।

तत: स्‍त्रीणां वदन्तीनामुद्धवोऽगात् कृताह्निक: ॥ ४९ ॥

kiṁ sādhayiṣyaty asmābhir

bhartuḥ prītasya niṣkṛtim

tataḥ strīṇāṁ vadantīnām

uddhavo ’gāt kṛtāhnikaḥ

Translation

“Is he going to use our flesh to offer funeral oblations for his master, who was so satisfied with his service?” As the women were speaking in this way, Uddhava appeared, having finished his early-morning duties.

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.

Bitter Disappointment Meets an Unexpected Guest

  1. 1

    The women asked whether Akrūra would use their flesh for funeral oblations for his master, who had been pleased with his service.

  2. 2

    Their bitter words reveal the disappointment they felt when Akrūra took Kṛṣṇa away.

  3. 3

    Uddhava appeared after finishing his early-morning duties. The purport says the gopīs would be pleasantly surprised to discover that he was the unexpected guest.

Key points from the purport
  • However, they will be pleasantly surprised to see that the unexpected guest is Uddhava.
  • Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C.
  • Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Forty-sixth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana.”

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

Heartache → Unbroken remembrance. Love endures and deepens despite visible absence.

Chapters 46–49 of Canto 10: Uddhava, the gopīs and the Song of the Bee. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 46: Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When the sun rose, the gopīs saw Uddhava’s chariot at the edge of the cowherd village, and they thought that Akrūra might have returned. But just then Uddhava finished his morning duties and presented himself before them.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.46
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kimwhether
  2. sādhayiṣyatiwill he accomplish
  3. asmābhiḥwith us
  4. bhartuḥof his master
  5. prītasyawho was satisfied with him
  6. niṣkṛtimthe funeral ritual
  7. tataḥthen
  8. strīṇāmthe women
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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 10.46

    In this verse: “duties”

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 the arrival of Uddhava contrast with the women’s bitter expectations?

Practice

Read the verse once more, noticing the change from the women’s painful words to Uddhava’s arrival.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBitter Disappointment Meets an Unexpected GuestThis 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 10.46.49? Get an answer from the verses themselves.