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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 47: The Song of the Bee
10.47.1110.47.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.47.12

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The gopīsince 10.47.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

गोप्युवाच

मधुप कितवबन्धो मा स्पृशाङ्‍‍घ्रिं सपत्न्‍या:

कुचविलुलितमालाकुङ्कुमश्मश्रुभिर्न: ।

वहतु मधुपतिस्तन्मानिनीनां प्रसादं

यदुसदसि विडम्ब्यं यस्य दूतस्त्वमीद‍ृक् ॥ १२ ॥

gopy uvāca

madhupa kitava-bandho mā spṛśaṅghriṁ sapatnyāḥ

kuca-vilulita-mālā-kuṅkuma-śmaśrubhir naḥ

vahatu madhu-patis tan-māninīnāṁ prasādaṁ

yadu-sadasi viḍambyaṁ yasya dūtas tvam īdṛk

Translation

The gopī said: O honeybee, O friend of a cheater, don’t touch My feet with your whiskers, which are smeared with the kuṅkuma that rubbed onto Kṛṣṇa’s garland when it was crushed by the breasts of a rival lover! Let Kṛṣṇa satisfy the women of Mathurā. One who sends a messenger like you will certainly be ridiculed in the Yadus’ assembly.

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.

Rādhārāṇī Chastises the Imagined Messenger

  1. 1

    Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī indirectly chastised Kṛṣṇa by chastising the bumblebee, which She took to be His messenger.

  2. 2

    She addressed the bee as madhupa, one who drinks flower nectar, and Kṛṣṇa as madhu-pati, the Lord of Madhu.

  3. 3

    The purport identifies Her speech as prajalpa, a lover’s criticism of the beloved’s tactlessness. It explains how Her phrases express envy, jealousy, pride and disrespect.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī indirectly chastised Kṛṣṇa by chastising the bumblebee, which She took for His messenger.
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that this and the following nine verses exemplify ten kinds of impulsive speech spoken by a lover.
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that the word kitava-bandho expresses envy; the phrase from sapatnyāḥ to naḥ, jealousy; the phrase mā spṛśa aṅghrim, pride; and the phrase from vahatu to prasādam, disrespect, while the phrase from yadu-sadasi to the end of the verse decries Kṛṣṇa’s tactless treatment of Rādhārāṇī.

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

Quoted in the purport ofCC Antya 19.107

The verses are as follows:

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:

The gopī continued to speak in this way, contrasting Her own supposed ill fortune to Her rival lovers’ good fortune, all the while glorifying the names, forms, qualities and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. She then declared that although Kṛṣṇa may have abandoned the gopīs, they could not possibly stop remembering Him for even a moment.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.47
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gopī uvācathe gopī said
  2. madhupaO bumblebee
  3. kitavaof a cheater
  4. bandhoO friend
  5. mā spṛśaplease do not touch
  6. aṅghrimthe feet
  7. sapatnyāḥof the lover who is our rival
  8. kucathe breast
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: “lover”, “lover’s”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “friend”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “pride”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the purport help me understand the carefully described moods in Rādhārāṇī’s words?

Practice

Reread the translation and identify one phrase that the purport explains as an expression of prajalpa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRādhārāṇī Chastises the Imagined MessengerThis 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 10.47.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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