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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
10.65.1710.65.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.65.18

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

पूर्णचन्द्रकलामृष्टे कौमुदीगन्धवायुना ।

यमुनोपवने रेमे सेविते स्‍त्रीगणैर्वृत: ॥ १८ ॥

pūrṇa-candra-kalā-mṛṣṭe

kaumudī-gandha-vāyunā

yamunopavane reme

sevite strī-gaṇair vṛtaḥ

Translation

In the company of numerous women, Lord Balarāma enjoyed in a garden by the Yamunā River. This garden was bathed in the rays of the full moon and caressed by breezes bearing the fragrance of night-blooming lotuses.

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 Enjoys Beside the Yamunā

  1. 1

    Lord Balarāma enjoys with numerous women in a garden beside the Yamunā River.

  2. 2

    Full-moon rays bathe the garden, while breezes carry the fragrance of night-blooming lotuses.

  3. 3

    The purport identifies this small forest as Śrīrāma-ghaṭṭa. It is far from the place of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that Lord Balarāma’s conjugal pastimes took place in a small forest alongside the Yamunā, a place known as Śrīrāma-ghaṭṭa, which is far from the site of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance.

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:

This chapter relates how Lord Balarāma went to Gokula, enjoyed the company of the cowherd girls and dragged the Yamunā River. One day Lord Balarāma went to Gokula to see His relatives and friends.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.65
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pūrṇafull
  2. candraof the moon
  3. kalāby the rays
  4. mṛṣṭebathed
  5. kaumudīof lotus flowers that open in the moonlight
  6. gandha(bearing) the fragrance
  7. vāyunāby the wind
  8. yamunāof the Yamunā River
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

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 do the moonlight, breeze and lotus fragrance help you attend to this description?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once, keeping your attention on Lord Balarāma in the setting described.

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 Enjoys Beside the YamunāThis 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 10.65.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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