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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 82: Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Meet the Inhabitants of Vṛndāvana
10.82.4710.83.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.82.48

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The gopīssince 10.82.48inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

आहुश्च ते नलिननाभ पदारविन्दं

योगेश्वरैर्हृदि विचिन्त्यमगाधबोधै: ।

संसारकूपपतितोत्तरणावलम्बं

गेहं जुषामपि मनस्युदियात् सदा न: ॥ ४८ ॥

āhuś ca te nalina-nābha padāravindaṁ

yogeśvarair hṛdi vicintyam agādha-bodhaiḥ saṁsāra-kūpa-patitottaraṇāvalambaṁ

gehaṁ juṣām api manasy udiyāt sadā naḥ

Translation

The gopīs spoke thus: Dear Lord, whose navel is just like a lotus flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those who have fallen into the deep well of material existence. Your feet are worshiped and meditated upon by great mystic yogīs and highly learned philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may also be awakened within our hearts, although we are only ordinary persons engaged in household affairs.

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.

Pure Devotees Desire Only Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The gopīs prayed that Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, the only shelter from material existence, might awaken within their hearts. They presented themselves as ordinary people engaged in household affairs.

  2. 2

    Their reverential words carried a trace of jealous anger at His attempt to teach them jñāna-yoga. Pure devotees desire neither material elevation nor spiritual liberation, but only Him.

  3. 3

    Their deepest plea was for Kṛṣṇa to return with them to Vṛndāvana. Only His presence there, with peacock feathers and His enchanting flute, could restore them—not theoretical knowledge of the self.

Key points from the purport
  • Revealing the jealous mood in which the gopīs spoke these deceptively reverential words, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī gives their statements as follows: “O Supreme Lord, O directly manifest Supersoul, O crest jewel of instructors in definitive knowledge, You were aware of our excessive attachment to home, property and family.
  • Thus, according to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the words the gopīs speak in this verse may be interpreted as follows: “O sun who directly destroys the darkness of ignorance, we are scorched by the sun-rays of this philosophical knowledge.
  • Only by His appearing again in Vṛndāvana can the gopīs be saved, not by any other kind of meditation on Him or theoretical knowledge of the self.

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· 3

The purport of SB 10.82.48 quotesCC Madhya 1.81

The translation and word meanings for this verse are taken from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s English rendering of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 1.81), where this verse is quoted.

The purport of SB 10.82.48 quotesSB 11.20.34

As stated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.20.34): “Because My devotees possess saintly behavior and deep intelligence, they completely dedicate themselves to Me and do not desire anything besides Me.

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 13.136

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.82.48).

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

Humility and separation → Friendship and reunion. The sweetness of relationship outweighs prestige.

Chapters 80–86 of Canto 10: Sudāmā and reunion with the residents of Vraja. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 82: Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Meet the Inhabitants of Vṛndāvana

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He consoled them by pointing out that He is all-pervasive, being the source of all energies, and thus He implied that they could never be separated from Him. Having been at long last reunited with Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs prayed simply to have His lotus feet manifested in their hearts.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.82
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. āhuḥthe gopīs said
  2. caand
  3. teYour
  4. nalina-nabhaO Lord, whose navel is just like a lotus flower
  5. pada-aravindamlotus feet
  6. yoga-īśvaraiḥby the great mystic yogīs
  7. hṛdiwithin the heart
  8. vicintyamto be meditated upon
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.82

    In this verse: “household”, “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.82

    In this verse: “worshiped”, “devotees”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.82

    In this verse: “philosophers”, “knowledge”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What do you seek most in devotion: benefits for yourself, or Kṛṣṇa and His service?

Practice

During one household task, pray that Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet may awaken within your heart.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 11.20.34

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.82's connections

Live this todayPure Devotees Desire Only KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.82.48? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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