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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
10.65.1610.65.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.65.17

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.65.9inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

द्वौ मासौ तत्र चावात्सीन्मधुं माधवमेव च ।

राम: क्षपासु भगवान् गोपीनां रतिमावहन् ॥ १७ ॥

dvau māsau tatra cāvātsīn

madhuṁ mādhavaṁ eva ca

rāmaḥ kṣapāsu bhagavān

gopīnāṁ ratim āvahan

Translation

Lord Balarāma, the Personality of Godhead, resided there for the two months of Madhu and Mādhava, and during the nights He gave His cowherd girlfriends conjugal pleasure.

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 Has His Own Cowherd Girlfriends

  1. 1

    Lord Balarāma, the Personality of Godhead, stays for the two months of Madhu and Mādhava. At night He gives His cowherd girlfriends conjugal pleasure.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that these gopīs had been too young to participate in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī confirms that particular gopīs are Balarāma’s girlfriends. At the Holī festivities as well, His companions were different from Kṛṣṇa’s.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī states that the gopīs who enjoyed conjugal affairs with Śrī Balarāma during His visit to Gokula had not taken part in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance, being too young at the time.
  • Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī confirms this statement by quoting a phrase from the Bhāgavatam (10.15.8) — gopyo ’ntareṇa bhujayoḥ — which indicates that there are particular gopīs who act as Lord Balarāma’s girlfriends.
  • Furthermore, Jīva Gosvāmī states that during the Holī festivities celebrated when Kṛṣṇa killed Śaṅkhacūḍa, the gopīs Lord Balarāma enjoyed with were different from the ones Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 10.65.17 quotesSB 10.15.8

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī confirms this statement by quoting a phrase from the Bhāgavatam (10.15.8) — gopyo ’ntareṇa bhujayoḥ — which indicates that there are particular gopīs who act as Lord Balarāma’s girlfriends.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

Lord Balarāma stayed in Gokula for two months, sporting with the gopīs in the groves on the Yamunā’s shore. The demigods who witnessed these pastimes played kettledrums in the heavens and showered down flower petals, while the celestial sages recited Balarāma’s glories.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.65
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dvautwo
  2. māsaumonths
  3. tatrathere (in Gokula)
  4. caand
  5. avātsītresided
  6. madhumMadhu (the first month of the Vedic calendar, at the time of the spring equinox)
  7. mādhavamMādhava (the second month)
  8. evaindeed
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: “companions”

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 does the purport help you distinguish Balarāma’s companions from Kṛṣṇa’s?

Practice

Write one sentence noting both Balarāma’s identity as the Personality of Godhead and the distinction between His companions and Kṛṣṇa’s.

5

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 10.15.8

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.65's connections

Live this todayBalarāma Has His Own Cowherd GirlfriendsThis 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 10.65.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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