1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

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
10.47.3610.47.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.47.37

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Lordsince 10.47.29inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

या मया क्रीडता रात्र्यां वनेऽस्मिन्व्रज आस्थिता: ।

अलब्धरासा: कल्याण्यो मापुर्मद्वीर्यचिन्तया ॥ ३७ ॥

yā mayā krīḍatā rātryāṁ

vane ’smin vraja āsthitāḥ

alabdha-rāsāḥ kalyāṇyo

māpur mad-vīrya-cintayā

Translation

Although some gopīs had to remain in the cowherd village and so could not join the rāsa dance to sport with Me at night in the forest, they were nonetheless fortunate. Indeed, they attained Me by thinking of My potent pastimes.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Remembering Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes Brings His Association

  1. 1

    Some gopīs had to remain in the cowherd village. They could not join Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance in the forest at night.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa nevertheless calls these gopīs fortunate. Their inability to join Him outwardly did not prevent them from attaining Him.

  3. 3

    They attained Kṛṣṇa by thinking of His potent pastimes.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.29.10-11

As the Lord Himself states: ‘Some of those all-auspcious gopīs could not directly join Me in enjoying the rāsa dance on that night in this Vṛndāvana forest, yet still they achieved My association by remembering My transcendental pastimes.’

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:

Does He still remember all the pastimes He enjoyed with us, such as the rāsa dance? Will Śrī Kṛṣṇa once again appear before us and give us ecstasy, just as Lord Indra, with his rain, gives life back to the forests aggrieved by the summer heat?
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.47
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yāḥwhich women
  2. mayāwith Me
  3. krīḍatāwho was sporting
  4. rātryāmat night
  5. vanein the forest
  6. asminthis
  7. vrajein the village of Vraja
  8. āsthitāḥremaining
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this verse encourage you when circumstances limit your outward participation?

Practice

Spend one minute remembering the pastime mentioned here and the gopīs who attained Kṛṣṇa through thought of Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemembering Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes Brings His AssociationThis 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 10.47.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories