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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.64.13

Who is speaking and story frame

पयस्विनीस्तरुणी: शीलरूप-

गुणोपपन्ना: कपिला हेमश‍ृङ्गी: ।

न्यायार्जिता रूप्यखुरा: सवत्सा

दुकूलमालाभरणा ददावहम् ॥ १३ ॥

payasvinīs taruṇīḥ śīla-rūpa-

guṇopapannāḥ kapilā hema-sṛṅgīḥ

nyāyārjitā rūpya-khurāḥ sa-vatsā

dukūla-mālābharaṇā dadāv aham

Translation

Young, brown, milk-laden cows, who were well-behaved, beautiful and endowed with good qualities, who were all acquired honestly, and who had gilded horns, silver-plated hooves and decorations of fine ornamental cloths and garlands — such were the cows, along with their calves, that I gave in charity.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Give Honestly Acquired, Valuable Gifts

  1. 1

    The cows Nṛga gave were all honestly acquired. They were young, brown, milk-laden, and endowed with good qualities.

  2. 2

    The cows were well-behaved and beautiful, with gilded horns and silver-plated hooves.

  3. 3

    Nṛga decorated them with fine cloths and garlands. He gave the cows together with their calves.

How it feels

Conflict and affection → Devotional wonder. Divine intimacy coexists with royal duties.

Chapters 60–69 of Canto 10: Palace life, family bonds and heroic protection. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 64: The Deliverance of King Nṛga

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Indeed, I gave away countless cows to numerous brāhmaṇas. But on one occasion a cow belonging to a first-class brāhmaṇa wandered into my herd.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.64
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. payaḥ-vinīḥhaving milk
  2. taruṇīḥyoung
  3. śīlawith good behavior
  4. rūpabeauty
  5. guṇaand other qualities
  6. upapannāḥendowed
  7. kapilāḥbrown
  8. hemagold
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

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

Do I give things that are honestly mine and genuinely useful to the recipient?

Practice

Choose one useful item you honestly own and prepare it carefully as a gift.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayGive Honestly Acquired, Valuable GiftsThis 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 10.64.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.