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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 10.8.29

Who is speaking and story frame

वत्सान् मुञ्चन् क्‍वचिदसमये क्रोशसञ्जातहास:

स्तेयं स्वाद्वत्त्यथ दधिपय: कल्पितै: स्तेययोगै: ।

मर्कान् भोक्ष्यन् विभजति स चेन्नात्ति भाण्डं भिन्नत्ति

द्रव्यालाभे सगृहकुपितो यात्युपक्रोश्य तोकान् ॥ २९ ॥

vatsān muñcan kvacid asamaye krośa-sañjāta-hāsaḥ

steyaṁ svādv atty atha dadhi-payaḥ kalpitaiḥ steya-yogaiḥ

markān bhokṣyan vibhajati sa cen nātti bhāṇḍaṁ bhinnatti

dravyālābhe sagṛha-kupito yāty upakrośya tokān

Translation

“Our dear friend Yaśodā, your son sometimes comes to our houses before the milking of the cows and releases the calves, and when the master of the house becomes angry, your son merely smiles. Sometimes He devises some process by which He steals palatable curd, butter and milk, which He then eats and drinks. When the monkeys assemble, He divides it with them, and when the monkeys have their bellies so full that they won’t take more, He breaks the pots. Sometimes, if He gets no opportunity to steal butter or milk from a house, He will be angry at the householders, and for His revenge He will agitate the small children by pinching them. Then, when the children begin crying, Kṛṣṇa will go away.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Smile Makes Anger Disappear

  1. 1

    The neighbors presented Kṛṣṇa’s childhood activities to mother Yaśodā as complaints. He released the calves before milking time, allowing them to drink their mothers’ milk.

  2. 2

    When the cowherd men tried to catch Him for stealing butter and curd, Kṛṣṇa simply smiled. Seeing His smile, they forgot everything.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa had no need to eat butter, since His belly was always full. Still, He ate it, shared it with monkeys or broke the pots; when He found nothing to steal, He sometimes pinched sleeping children and went away as they cried.

Key points from the purport
  • Sometimes Kṛṣṇa would enter the house of a neighbor, and if He found no one there, He would release the calves before the time for the cows to be milked.
  • When the cowherd men saw this, they would chase Kṛṣṇa and try to catch Him, saying, “Here is Kṛṣṇa doing mischief,” but He would flee and enter another house, where He would again devise some means to steal butter and curd.
  • If in any house He could not find any butter or curd to steal, He would go into a room and agitate the small children sleeping there by pinching them, and when they cried He would go away.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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

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:

Śukadeva Gosvāmī next described how the two children crawled, walked on Their small legs, played with the cows and calves, stole butter and other milk products and broke the butter pots. In this way, he described many naughty activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
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. vatsānthe calves
  2. muñcanreleasing
  3. kvacitsometimes
  4. asamayeat odd times
  5. krośa-sañjāta-hāsaḥafter this, when the head of the house is angry, Kṛṣṇa begins to smile
  6. steyamobtained by stealing
  7. svāduvery tasteful
  8. attieats
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.8

    In this verse: “yaśodā”, “children”, “mother”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.8

    In this verse: “crying”, “cried”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.8

    In this verse: “householders”

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 does the neighbors’ response to Kṛṣṇa’s smile help you notice about His attractiveness?

Practice

Recall the moment when Kṛṣṇa smiled and the cowherd men forgot their anger.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Smile Makes Anger DisappearThis 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 10.8.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.