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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 46: Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana

10.46.4 10.46.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.46.5

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.46.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मयि ता: प्रेयसां प्रेष्ठे दूरस्थे गोकुलस्‍त्रिय: ।

स्मरन्त्योऽङ्ग विमुह्यन्ति विरहौत्कण्ठ्यविह्वला: ॥ ५ ॥

mayi tāḥ preyasāṁ preṣṭhe

dūra-sthe gokula-striyaḥ

smarantyo ’ṅga vimuhyanti

virahautkaṇṭhya-vihvalāḥ

Translation

My dear Uddhava, for those women of Gokula I am the most cherished object of love. Thus when they remember Me, who am so far away, they are overwhelmed by the anxiety of separation.

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 Is Dearer Than Our Own Self

1
Things become dear to us through their favorable relationship with our self, and we try to possess them.
2
Among countless dear things, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the dearest of all—even dearer than one’s own self. The gopīs had realized this truth.
3
Their intense love left them overwhelmed by separation from Him. The Lord’s transcendental potency kept them alive.

Key points from the purport

Whatever is dear to us becomes an object of our possessiveness.
Ultimately the most dear object is our very soul, or our self.
Thus things in a favorable relationship to our self also become dear to us, and we try to possess them.

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

Chapter 46: Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Nanda asked, “Does Kṛṣṇa still remember His friends, the village of Gokula and Govardhana Hill? He protected us from a forest fire, wind and rain, and many other disasters.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.46

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

mayiI
tāḥthey
preyasāmof all objects of endearment
preṣṭhethe most dear
dūra-sthebeing far away
gokula-striyaḥthe women of Gokula
smarantyaḥremembering
aṅgadear (Uddhava)

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
Prema · Transcendental love
The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.46
In this verse: “love”
Viraha · Longing in separation
Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.46
In this verse: “separation”
Kṛpā · Divine mercy
Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.46
In this verse: “favorable”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What would it mean to understand Kṛṣṇa as dearer than everything else?

Practice

List three things dear to you, then reflect briefly on the teaching that Kṛṣṇa is dearer still.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Dearer Than Our Own SelfThis 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 10.46.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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