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 5: The Meeting of Nanda Mahārāja and Vasudeva
10.5.2410.5.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.5.25

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.5.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नैकत्र प्रियसंवास: सुहृदां चित्रकर्मणाम् ।

ओघेन व्यूह्यमानानां प्लवानां स्रोतसो यथा ॥ २५ ॥

naikatra priya-saṁvāsaḥ

suhṛdāṁ citra-karmaṇām

oghena vyūhyamānānāṁ

plavānāṁ srotaso yathā

Translation

Many planks and sticks, unable to stay together, are carried away by the force of a river’s waves. Similarly, although we are intimately related with friends and family members, we are unable to stay together because of our varied past deeds and the waves of time.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Time Carries Loved Ones Apart

  1. 1

    Vasudeva lamented that he and Nanda Mahārāja could not live together.

  2. 2

    Friends and relatives resemble planks and sticks carried along by a river’s waves. Even intimate relationships cannot ensure that people will remain together.

  3. 3

    All of us are carried away by the waves of time according to the results of past karma.

Key points from the purport
  • Vasudeva was lamenting because he and Nanda Mahārāja could not live together.
  • Vasudeva warns that all of us, even if intimately related, are carried away by the waves of time according to the results of past karma.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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

Worry and play → Parental tenderness. The Supreme becomes the beloved child of His devotees.

Chapters 5–11 of Canto 10: Gokula, Yaśodā and the infant Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 5: The Meeting of Nanda Mahārāja and Vasudeva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When Vasudeva inquired from Nanda Mahārāja about the welfare of the child, Nanda Mahārāja informed him all about Vṛndāvana, and Vasudeva was very much satisfied by this, although he expressed his grief because Devakī’s many children had been killed by Kaṁsa. Nanda Mahārāja consoled Vasudeva by saying that everything happens according to destiny and that one who knows this is not aggrieved.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. ekatrain one place
  3. priya-saṁvāsaḥliving together with dear friends and relatives
  4. suhṛdāmof friends
  5. citra-karmaṇāmof all of us who have had varieties of reactions to our past karma
  6. oghenaby the force
  7. vyūhyamānānāmcarried away
  8. plavānāmof sticks and other objects floating in the water
  9. srotasaḥof the waves
  10. yathāas
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 10.5

    In this verse: “friends”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.5

    In this verse: “nanda”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.5

    In this verse: “lamented”

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 might remembering the waves of time help me value the company I have now?

Practice

Give a loved one a few minutes of undivided attention today, remembering that time together is not guaranteed.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTime Carries Loved Ones ApartThis 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 10.5.25? 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