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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 53: Kṛṣṇa Kidnaps Rukmiṇī

10.53.25 10.53.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.53.26

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.53.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एवं चिन्तयती बाला गोविन्दहृतमानसा । न्यमीलयत कालज्ञा नेत्रे चाश्रुकलाकुले ॥ २६ ॥

evaṁ cintayatī bālā

govinda-hṛta-mānasā

nyamīlayata kāla-jñā

netre cāśru-kalākule

Translation

As she thought in this way, the young maiden, whose mind had been stolen by Kṛṣṇa, closed her tear-filled eyes, remembering that there was still time.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remembering the Time Brings Consolation

1
Rukmiṇī’s mind had been stolen by Kṛṣṇa. Thinking anxiously of Him, she closed her tear-filled eyes.
2
She remembered that there was still time for Him to arrive.
3
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that she thought it was not even the right time yet for Govinda to come. This gave her a little consolation.

Key points from the purport

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains the word kāla-jñā as follows: “[Rukmiṇī thought,] ‘It is not even the right time yet for Govinda to come,’ and thus she felt a bit consoled.”

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

Yearning and danger → Marriage and reciprocity. A wider range of divine relationships appears.

Chapters 50–59 of Canto 10: Dvārakā, Rukmiṇī and royal rescues. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 53: Kṛṣṇa Kidnaps Rukmiṇī

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

On the night before the wedding, Rukmiṇī, about to retire, had still not seen either the brāhmaṇa or Kṛṣṇa arrive. In anxiety, she cursed her bad fortune.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.53