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
10.47.510.47.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.47.6

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The gopīssince 10.47.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अन्येष्वर्थकृता मैत्री यावदर्थविडम्बनम् ।

पुम्भि: स्‍त्रीषु कृता यद्वत् सुमन:स्विव षट्पदै: ॥ ६ ॥

anyeṣv artha-kṛtā maitrī

yāvad-artha-viḍambanam

pumbhiḥ strīṣu kṛtā yadvat

sumanaḥsv iva ṣaṭpadaiḥ

Translation

The friendship shown toward others — those who are not family members — is motivated by personal interest, and thus it is a pretense that lasts only until one’s purpose is fulfilled. Such friendship is just like the interest men take in women, or bees in flowers.

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.

Pure Devotion Is Free from Self-Interest

  1. 1

    The gopīs condemned fickle affection that lasts only until a personal purpose is fulfilled. The purport compares it to bees leaving flowers after drinking their nectar.

  2. 2

    The gopīs had given their hearts completely to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and wanted only His pleasure. In the pain of separation, they questioned the motives of His friendship.

  3. 3

    Lord Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs are eternally free from lust, greed and pride. Their spiritual loving affairs are motivated exclusively by unalloyed devotion, not the impurities of worldly relationships.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains here that attractive women, like flowers, possess beauty, fragrance, tenderness, charm and so on.
  • The gopīs wanted only to exhibit their charms for Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure, and in the pain of separation they questioned the motives of His friendship with them.
  • Like all liberated souls, the gopīs — and certainly Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself — are eternally free of these lower qualities, and their intense loving affairs are motivated exclusively by unalloyed devotion.

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. anyeṣutoward others
  2. arthafor some motivation
  3. kṛtāmanifested
  4. maitrīfriendship
  5. yāvatfor as long
  6. artha(as one is fulfilling his) motive
  7. viḍambanampretense
  8. pumbhiḥby men
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “friendship”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotion”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “pride”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where can I replace a desire for personal gain with a desire to please Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Offer one small service to Lord Kṛṣṇa today without asking for a personal reward.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPure Devotion Is Free from Self-InterestThis 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 10.47.6? 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