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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
10.47.6210.47.64

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.47.63

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Uddhavasince 10.47.58inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

वन्दे नन्दव्रजस्‍त्रीणां पादरेणुमभीक्ष्णश: ।

यासां हरिकथोद्गीतं पुनाति भुवनत्रयम् ॥ ६३ ॥

vande nanda-vraja-strīṇāṁ

pāda-reṇum abhīkṣṇaśaḥ

yāsāṁ hari-kathodgītaṁ

punāti bhuvana-trayam

Translation

I repeatedly offer my respects to the dust from the feet of the women of Nanda Mahārāja’s cowherd village. When these gopīs loudly chant the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the vibration purifies the three worlds.

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.

The Gopīs’ Chanting Purifies Three Worlds

  1. 1

    Having established the gopīs’ glories, Uddhava now directly offers his obeisances to them.

  2. 2

    He repeatedly honors the dust from the feet of the women of Nanda Mahārāja’s cowherd village. The purport notes that he did not offer such respect even to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s queens in Dvārakā.

  3. 3

    When the gopīs loudly chant Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s glories, that vibration purifies the three worlds.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrī Uddhava, having established the glories of the gopīs in the previous verses, now directly offers his obeisances to them.
  • According to the Śrī Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī, Śrī Uddhava did not offer such respect even to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s queens in Dvārakā.

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:

Indeed, I would consider myself most fortunate to take birth as even a bush or creeper that would sometimes be touched by the dust of these gopīs’ lotus feet.” Finally, Uddhava entreated Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men for permission to go back to Mathurā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.47
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vandeI offer my respects
  2. nanda-vrajaof the cowherd village of Nanda Mahārāja
  3. strīṇāmof the women
  4. pādaof the feet
  5. reṇumto the dust
  6. abhīkṣṇaśaḥperpetually
  7. yāsāmwhose
  8. hariof Lord Kṛṣṇa
3

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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “chant”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “nanda”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.47

    In this verse: “purifies”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this verse deepen my respect for those who chant Kṛṣṇa’s glories?

Practice

Speak or sing aloud one sentence glorifying Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Gopīs’ Chanting Purifies Three WorldsThis 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 10.47.63? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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