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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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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
10.47.4610.47.48

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.47.47

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

परं सौख्यं हि नैराश्यं स्वैरिण्यप्याहपिङ्गला ।

तज्जानतीनां न: कृष्णे तथाप्याशा दुरत्यया ॥ ४७ ॥

paraṁ saukhyaṁ hi nairāśyaṁ

svairiṇy apy āha piṅgalā

taj jānatīnāṁ naḥ kṛṣṇe

tathāpy āśā duratyayā

Translation

Indeed, the greatest happiness is to renounce all desires, as even the prostitute Piṅgalā has declared. Yet even though we know this, we cannot give up our hopes of attaining Kṛṣṇa.

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.

Hope for Kṛṣṇa Cannot Be Abandoned

  1. 1

    The speaker acknowledges that renouncing all desires brings the greatest happiness.

  2. 2

    She recalls that even the prostitute Piṅgalā declared this teaching.

  3. 3

    Yet the gopīs cannot give up their hopes of attaining Kṛṣṇa, even though they know this teaching about renunciation.

Key points from the purport
  • The story of Piṅgalā is narrated in the Eleventh Canto, Eighth Chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

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:

Although we know that the greatest happiness comes from renunciation, we simply cannot stop hoping to attain Kṛṣṇa, for the marks of His lotus feet are still present throughout the land of Vraja, reminding us of His graceful gait, generous smiles and gentle talks. By all these our hearts have been stolen away.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.47
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. paramthe highest
  2. saukhyamhappiness
  3. hiindeed
  4. nairāśyamindifference
  5. svairiṇīunchaste
  6. apialthough
  7. āhastated
  8. piṅgalāthe prostitute Piṅgalā
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

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

    In this verse: “renounce”, “give up”, “renouncing”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to you about the gopīs’ inability to abandon hope for Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Set aside one small personal desire today and spend that moment expressing your hope of attaining Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.47's connections

Live this todayHope for Kṛṣṇa Cannot Be AbandonedThis 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 10.47.47? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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