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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 10.8.21

Who is speaking and story frame

कालेन व्रजताल्पेन गोकुले रामकेशवौ ।

जानुभ्यां सह पाणिभ्यां रिङ्गमाणौ विजह्रतु: ॥ २१ ॥

kālena vrajatālpena

gokule rāma-keśavau

jānubhyāṁ saha pāṇibhyāṁ

riṅgamāṇau vijahratuḥ

Translation

After a short time passed, both brothers, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, began to crawl on the ground of Vraja with the strength of Their hands and knees and thus enjoy Their childhood play.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remembering Kṛṣṇa’s Childhood Brings Transcendental Happiness

  1. 1

    Rāma and Kṛṣṇa began crawling on Their hands and knees in Vraja. The Supreme Brahman was enjoying childhood play in Nanda Mahārāja’s courtyard.

  2. 2

    For an exalted devotee, merging into the Supreme appears no better than hell. Simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma crawling brings transcendental happiness.

  3. 3

    Absorption in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is actual liberation, with devotion rather than impersonal merging as the goal. Vyāsadeva compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam so that anyone could remember these pastimes and remain liberated.

Key points from the purport
  • But here one can simply think of the crawling of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāja and always merge in transcendental happiness.
  • As long as one is absorbed in thoughts of kṛṣṇa-līlā, especially Kṛṣṇa’s childhood pastimes, as Parīkṣit Mahārāja desired to be, one is always merged in actual kaivalya.
  • Vyāsadeva compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, under the instruction of Nārada, so that anyone can take advantage of this literature, think of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and always be liberated.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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 10.8.21 quotesSB 1.7.6

Lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām. Vyāsadeva compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, under the instruction of Nārada, so that anyone can take advantage of this literature, think of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and always be liberated.

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

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 8: Lord Kṛṣṇa Shows the Universal Form Within His Mouth

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Because Balarāma, the son of Rohiṇī, increases the transcendental bliss of others, His name is Rāma, and because of His extraordinary strength, He is called Baladeva. He attracts the Yadus to follow His instructions, and therefore His name is Saṅkarṣaṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.8
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kālenaof time
  2. vrajatāpassing
  3. alpenaa very small duration
  4. gokulein Gokula, Vraja-dhāma
  5. rāma-keśavauboth Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa
  6. jānubhyāmby the strength of Their knees
  7. saha pāṇibhyāmresting on Their hands
  8. riṅgamāṇaucrawling
  9. vijahratuḥenjoyed childhood play
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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 10.8

    In this verse: “childhood”, “nanda”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.8

    In this verse: “devotion”, “devotee”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does remembering Kṛṣṇa’s childhood help me appreciate devotion rather than impersonal merging?

Practice

Spend one minute remembering Rāma and Kṛṣṇa crawling on Their hands and knees in Nanda Mahārāja’s courtyard.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 1.7.6

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.8's connections

Live this todayRemembering Kṛṣṇa’s Childhood Brings Transcendental HappinessThis 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 10.8.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.