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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 47: The Song of the Bee

10.47.34 10.47.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.47.35

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The Supreme Lordsince 10.47.29inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यथा दूरचरे प्रेष्ठे मन आविश्य वर्तते ।

स्‍त्रीणां च न तथा चेत: सन्निकृष्टेऽक्षिगोचरे ॥ ३५ ॥

yathā dūra-care preṣṭhe

mana āviśya vartate

strīṇāṁ ca na tathā cetaḥ

sannikṛṣṭe ’kṣi-gocare

Translation

When her lover is far away, a woman thinks of him more than when he is present before her.

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.

Absence Can Intensify Loving Thought

1
A woman may think more deeply of her beloved when he is far away than when he is before her eyes.
2
The purport explains that the same holds true for men thinking of a beloved woman who is far away.
3
Physical nearness does not always produce the strongest absorption of mind. Separation can intensify loving thought.

Key points from the purport

According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, the same holds true for men, who become more absorbed in thinking of a beloved woman when she is far away than when she is present before their eyes.

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 47: The Song of the Bee

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After all, when a woman’s beloved is far away, she fixes her mind upon him constantly. By incessantly remembering Me, you are sure to regain My association without delay.’”

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.47

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yathāas
dūra-carebeing situated far away
preṣṭhea lover
manaḥthe minds
āviśyabecoming absorbed
vartateremain
strīṇāmof women
caand

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”
Viraha · Longing in separation
Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.47
In this verse: “separation”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this example teach you about the difference between seeing someone and remembering them deeply?

Practice

Take a minute today to reflect on how absence can deepen loving remembrance rather than erase it.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAbsence Can Intensify Loving ThoughtThis 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.

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