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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
10.47.1510.47.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.47.16

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

विसृज शिरसि पादं वेद्‍म्यहं चाटुकारै-

रनुनयविदुषस्तेऽभ्येत्य दौत्यैर्मुकुन्दात् ।

स्वकृत इह विसृष्टापत्यपत्यन्यलोका

व्यसृजदकृतचेता: किं नु सन्धेयमस्मिन् ॥ १६ ॥

visṛja śirasi pādaṁ vedmy ahaṁ cātu-kārair

anunaya-viduṣas te ’bhyetya dautyair mukundāt

sva-kṛta iha viṣṛṣṭāpatya-paty-anya-lokā

vyasṛjad akṛta-cetāḥ kiṁ nu sandheyam asmin

Translation

Keep your head off My feet! I know what you’re doing. You expertly learned diplomacy from Mukunda, and now you come as His messenger with flattering words. But He abandoned those who for His sake alone gave up their children, husbands and all other relations. He’s simply ungrateful. Why should I make up with Him now?

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.

The Pain Behind Refusing Reconciliation

  1. 1

    Rādhārāṇī rejects the bee’s apparent attempt at reconciliation. She says it has learned diplomacy and flattering speech from Mukunda.

  2. 2

    She recalls that the gopīs gave up children, husbands and other relations for His sake alone. Feeling abandoned, She questions why She should reconcile with Him.

  3. 3

    The purport calls this sañjalpa: speech that reproaches the beloved’s perceived ungratefulness with deep irony and insulting gestures. It also conveys a perception of hardheartedness, hostility and lack of love.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, this verse illustrates the qualities of sañjalpa, as described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in the following verse of his Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.190):
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that the word ādi, “and so on,” implies the perception in one’s lover of hardheartedness, of an inimical attitude and of a complete lack of love.

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 47: The Song of the Bee

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

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.” 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.47
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. visṛjalet go of
  2. śirasion your head
  3. pādamMy foot
  4. vedmiknow
  5. ahamI
  6. cāṭu-kāraiḥwith flattering words
  7. anunayain the art of conciliation
  8. viduṣaḥwho are expert
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “gave up”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “children”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

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

    In this verse: “love”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does remembering the gopīs’ dedication help me hear the pain in this verse?

Practice

Spend one minute rereading the words “for His sake alone” and reflecting on the devotion they express.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Pain Behind Refusing ReconciliationThis 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 10.47.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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