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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 6: The Killing of the Demon Pūtanā
10.6.2010.6.22-23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.6.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.6.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

गोप्य: संस्पृष्टसलिला अङ्गेषु करयो: पृथक् ।

न्यस्यात्मन्यथ बालस्य बीजन्यासमकुर्वत ॥ २१ ॥

gopyaḥ saṁspṛṣṭa-salilā

aṅgeṣu karayoḥ pṛthak

nyasyātmany atha bālasya

bīja-nyāsam akurvata

Translation

The gopīs first executed the process of ācamana, drinking a sip of water from the right hand. They purified their bodies and hands with the nyāsa-mantra and then applied the same mantra upon the body of the child.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Purification Before Caring for Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The gopīs began with ācamana, drinking a little water from the right hand. They purified their bodies and hands with the nyāsa-mantra.

  2. 2

    They first performed the process upon themselves and then upon the child Kṛṣṇa. The purport explains that different viṣṇu-mantras are used to purify the body.

  3. 3

    Householders knew how to become purified by chanting Vedic hymns. The purport laments that this knowledge has been forgotten as people become absorbed in sense gratification.

Key points from the purport
  • Nyāsa-mantra includes ācamana, or first drinking a sip of water kept in the right hand.
  • The gopīs executed this process first to purify themselves and then to purify the child Kṛṣṇa.
  • One executes the process of aṅga-nyāsa and kara-nyāsa simply by drinking a little sip of water and chanting the mantra.

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 6: The Killing of the Demon Pūtanā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When Kṛṣṇa was playing, the gopīs were pacified and took the child away to their own laps. After this incident, the gopīs took precautions because of the attack of the Rākṣasī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gopyaḥthe gopīs
  2. saṁspṛṣṭa-salilāḥtouching a cup of water and drinking
  3. aṅgeṣuon their bodies
  4. karayoḥon their two hands
  5. pṛthakseparately
  6. nyasyaafter placing the letters of the mantra
  7. ātmanion their own
  8. athathen
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.6

    In this verse: “child”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.6

    In this verse: “sense gratification”, “householders”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.6

    In this verse: “purified”

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 could remembering purification help you avoid letting daily life become absorbed only in sense gratification?

Practice

Set aside two minutes today to review the sequence of purification described here, rather than spending those minutes on sense gratification.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.6's connections

Live this todayPurification Before Caring for KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.6.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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