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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
  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 47: The Song of the Bee
10.47.9-1010.47.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.47.11

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The gopīssince 10.47.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

काचिन्मधुकरं द‍ृष्ट्वा ध्यायन्ती कृष्णसङ्गमम् ।

प्रियप्रस्थापितं दूतं कल्पयित्वेदमब्रवीत् ॥ ११ ॥

kācin madhukaraṁ dṛṣṭvā

dhyāyantī kṛṣṇa-saṅgamam

priya-prasthāpitaṁ dūtaṁ

kalpayitvedam abravīt

Translation

One of the gopīs, while meditating on Her previous association with Kṛṣṇa, saw a honeybee before Her and imagined it to be a messenger sent by Her beloved. Thus She spoke as follows.

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.

To Know Kṛṣṇa Is to Love Him

  1. 1

    Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was absorbed in remembering Her association with Kṛṣṇa. Seeing a honeybee, She imagined it to be a messenger from Her beloved.

  2. 2

    The purport identifies this gopī as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and describes Her words as full of pure transcendental knowledge. By Her example and words, She revealed Her supreme love for the Lord.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is to be known through all the Vedas: to know Him is to love Him. The purport urges us to follow those who bow down to the Supreme Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is referred to in this verse as kācit, “a certain gopī.”
  • To establish that this particular gopī is in fact Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī quotes the following verses from the Agni Purāṇa:
  • To know Kṛṣṇa is to love Kṛṣṇa, and thus Rādhārāṇī, by Her own example and words, revealed Her supreme love for the Lord.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 10.47.11 quotesBG 15.15

In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) Lord Kṛṣṇa states, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: “By all the Vedas, I am to be known.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 47: The Song of the Bee

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

One gopī, while deeply meditating on Her association with Kṛṣṇa, noticed a bumblebee before Her. Imagining the bee to be a messenger from Him, She said, “Just as bees wander among various flowers, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has abandoned the young girls of Vraja and developed affection for other women.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.47
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kācitone (of the gopīs)
  2. madhu-karama honeybee
  3. dṛṣṭvāseeing
  4. dhyāyantīwhile meditating
  5. kṛṣṇa-saṅgamamon Her association with Kṛṣṇa
  6. priyaby Her beloved
  7. prasthāpitamsent
  8. dūtama messenger
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

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “love”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “knowledge”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can my study of Kṛṣṇa nourish love and devotional service rather than knowledge alone?

Practice

Offer a respectful bow to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with a prayer to know and love Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTo Know Kṛṣṇa Is to Love HimThis 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 10.47.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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