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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 83: Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa

10.83.41-42 10.84.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.83.43

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Rohiṇī-devi, speaking for the other queenssince 10.83.40inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

व्रजस्‍त्रियो यद् वाञ्छन्ति पुलिन्द्यस्तृणवीरुध: ।

गावश्चारयतो गोपा: पदस्पर्शं महात्मन: ॥ ४३ ॥

vraja-striyo yad vāñchanti

pulindyas tṛṇa-vīrudhaḥ

gāvaś cārayato gopāḥ

pada-sparśaṁ mahātmanaḥ

Translation

We desire the same contact with the Supreme Lord’s feet that the young women of Vraja, the cowherd boys and even the aborigine Pulinda women desire — the touch of the dust He leaves on the plants and grass as He tends His cows.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Longing for the Dust of Kṛṣṇa’s Feet

1
The queens desire the same contact with the Supreme Lord’s feet sought by the young women of Vraja, the cowherd boys and the Pulinda women.
2
As Kṛṣṇa tends His cows, the dust of His feet touches the plants and grass. The queens long for contact with that dust.
3
After hearing Uddhava describe Śrī Rādhā’s superexcellent qualities, the sixteen thousand lesser queens became attracted to the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s feet in Vṛndāvana.

Key points from the purport

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī reminds us of the jealous rivalry that always existed between the queens of Dvārakā and the gopīs of Vraja.
Rukmiṇī and her seven chief co-wives considered themselves so fortunate in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa as He appeared in Dvārakā that they did not especially desire to see Him as He is in Vṛndāvana.
But the sixteen thousand lesser queens, after hearing Uddhava describe Śrī Rādhā’s superexcellent qualities, became attracted to touch the dust that falls from Kṛṣṇa’s feet onto the grass and plants of Vṛndāvana.

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 10.83.43 quotesSB 10.47.45

“Why should Kṛṣṇa come back here after winning a kingdom, killing His enemies and marrying the daughters of kings?”

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

Chapter 83: Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Rohiṇī-devī, representing all the other queens, explained that they were daughters of the kings defeated by Bhaumāsura. The demon had held them captive, but when Lord Kṛṣṇa killed him He had released them and married them all.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.83

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

vrajaof Vraja
striyaḥthe women
yatas
vāñchantithey desire
pulindyaḥthe women of the aborigine Pulinda tribe in Vraja
tṛṇafrom the grass
vīrudhaḥand plants
gāvaḥthe cows

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 10.83
In this verse: “cowherd boys”
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.83
In this verse: “hearing”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does hearing about the queens’ longing deepen your own desire for devotion?

Practice

Read the translation slowly, remembering Kṛṣṇa tending His cows and leaving the dust of His feet on the grass.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 10.47.45

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.83's connections

Live this todayLonging for the Dust of Kṛṣṇa’s FeetThis 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 10.83.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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