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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 65: Lord Balarāma Visits Vṛndāvana
10.64.4410.65.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.65.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.65.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

बलभद्र: कुरुश्रेष्ठ भगवान् रथमास्थित: ।

सुहृद्दिद‍ृक्षुरुत्कण्ठ: प्रययौ नन्दगोकुलम् ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

balabhadraḥ kuru-śreṣṭha

bhagavān ratham āsthitaḥ

suhṛd-didṛkṣur utkaṇṭhaḥ

prayayau nanda-gokulam

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O best of the Kurus, once Lord Balarāma, eager to visit His well-wishing friends, mounted His chariot and traveled to Nanda Gokula.

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.

Balarāma Comes to Console His Friends

  1. 1

    Lord Balarāma eagerly traveled to Nanda Gokula to see His well-wishing friends. Remembering their deep friendship, He went with Lord Kṛṣṇa’s permission.

  2. 2

    The residents of Vṛndāvana were grieving because Kṛṣṇa lived elsewhere. Balarāma went to console them.

  3. 3

    The Yadus feared that Kṛṣṇa would be unable to leave His deeply loving friends and parents if He returned. The purport explains that He becomes controlled by pure love.

Key points from the purport
  • As Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī points out, Lord Balarāma’s journey to Śrī Vṛndāvana is also described in the Hari-vaṁśa (Viṣṇu-parva 46.10):
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura addresses the question of why Lord Kṛṣṇa, the great ocean of pure love, did not also go to Vraja.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa is controlled by pure love, so if He goes to see them, how will He be able to leave them and come back to us?’

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

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 65: Lord Balarāma Visits Vṛndāvana

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

They asked, “Does Kṛṣṇa still remember His parents and friends, and will He be coming to Gokula to visit them? For Kṛṣṇa’s sake we gave up everything — even our fathers, mothers and other relatives — but now He has abandoned us.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.65
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. balabhadraḥLord Balarāma
  3. kuru-śreṣṭhaO best of the Kurus (King Parīkṣit)
  4. bhagavānthe Supreme Lord
  5. rathamon His chariot
  6. āsthitaḥmounted
  7. suhṛtHis well-wishing friends
  8. didṛkṣuḥwishing to see
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 10.65

    In this verse: “friends”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.65

    In this verse: “nanda”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.65

    In this verse: “love”

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

What touches you about Balarāma’s eagerness to console His friends?

Practice

Contact someone who misses a loved one and offer a few caring words.

5

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 10.65's connections

Live this todayBalarāma Comes to Console His FriendsThis 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 10.65.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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