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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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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 48: Kṛṣṇa Pleases His Devotees
10.48.3110.48.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.48.32

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Lordsince 10.48.29inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

स भवान् सुहृदां वै न: श्रेयान् श्रेयश्चिकीर्षया ।

जिज्ञासार्थं पाण्डवानां गच्छस्व त्वं गजाह्वयम् ॥ ३२ ॥

sa bhavān suhṛdāṁ vai naḥ

śreyān śreyaś-cikīrṣayā

jijñāsārthaṁ pāṇḍavānāṁ

gacchasva tvaṁ gajāhvayam

Translation

You are indeed the best of Our friends, so please go to Hastināpura and, as the well-wisher of the Pāṇḍavas, find out how they are doing.

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.

Loving Service Includes Inquiring About Others

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa calls Akrūra the best of His friends and asks him to go to Hastināpura.

  2. 2

    As a well-wisher of the Pāṇḍavas, Akrūra is asked to find out how they are doing.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that one reading of the Sanskrit has Kṛṣṇa addressing Akrūra as “Our own.” This expresses His intimate relationship with His uncle.

Key points from the purport
  • In Sanskrit the imperative “you go” may be rendered by gacchasva or gaccha.
  • In the second of these cases, the word following gaccha, namely sva, which is taken in the vocative sense, indicates Kṛṣṇa addressing Akrūra as “Our own.”
  • This is in reference to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s intimate relationship with His uncle.

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 48: Kṛṣṇa Pleases His Devotees

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lord Kṛṣṇa then praised Akrūra as a saint and purifier of the sinful, and He asked him to visit Hastināpura to find out how the Pāṇḍavas, deprived of their father, were faring. Finally, the Lord returned home, taking Balarāma and Uddhava with Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.48
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥthat person
  2. bhavānyou
  3. suhṛdāmof the well-wishers
  4. vaicertainly
  5. naḥOur
  6. śreyānthe very best
  7. śreyaḥfor their welfare
  8. cikīrṣayāwishing to arrange
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.48

    In this verse: “friends”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can genuine concern for someone's welfare become a concrete act of service?

Practice

Contact someone today and sincerely ask how they are doing, taking time to listen.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLoving Service Includes Inquiring About OthersThis 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 10.48.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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