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
10.47.4510.47.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.47.46

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The gopīssince 10.47.39inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

किमस्माभिर्वनौकोभिरन्याभिर्वा महात्मन: ।

श्रीपतेराप्तकामस्य क्रियेतार्थ: कृतात्मन: ॥ ४६ ॥

kim asmābhir vanaukobhir

anyābhir vā mahātmanaḥ

śrī-pater āpta-kāmasya

kriyetārthaḥ kṛtātmanaḥ

Translation

The great soul Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of the goddess of fortune, and He automatically achieves whatever He desires. How can we forest-dwellers or any other women fulfill His purposes when He is already fulfilled within Himself?

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Association Is Causeless Mercy

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of the goddess of fortune and automatically achieves whatever He desires. He is already fulfilled within Himself.

  2. 2

    The gopīs realize that, as the absolute Personality of Godhead, He has no need for any women.

  3. 3

    He awards His association to His loving devotees out of causeless mercy, not because He lacks anything.

Key points from the purport
  • Although the gopīs lamented that Kṛṣṇa was associating with the city women in Mathurā, they now realize that as the absolute Personality of Godhead, He has no need for any women.
  • It is out of His causeless mercy that He awards His association to His loving devotees.

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:

The goddess of fortune herself, who always resides on Kṛṣṇa’s chest, could not get the same mercy as that which the gopīs obtained during the rāsa dance, when Kṛṣṇa embraced their necks with His mighty arms. What, then, to speak of 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. kimwhat
  2. asmābhiḥwith us
  3. vanathe forest
  4. okobhiḥwhose residence
  5. anyābhiḥwith other women
  6. vāor
  7. mahā-ātmanaḥfor the exalted personality (Kṛṣṇa)
  8. śrīof the goddess of fortune
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “devotees”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does Kṛṣṇa’s completeness change the way you understand His mercy?

Practice

Offer a short prayer of gratitude for Kṛṣṇa’s causeless mercy, remembering that He is complete within Himself.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Association Is Causeless MercyThis 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 10.47.46? 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