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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 10.83.5

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीऋषिरुवाच

इत्युत्तम:श्लोकशिखामणिं जने-

ष्वभिष्टुवत्स्वन्धककौरवस्‍त्रिय: ।

समेत्य गोविन्दकथा मिथोऽगृणं-

स्‍त्रिलोकगीता: श‍ृणु वर्णयामि ते ॥ ५ ॥

śrī-ṛṣir uvāca

ity uttamaḥ-śloka-śikhā-maṇiṁ janeṣv

abhiṣṭuvatsv andhaka-kaurava-striyaḥ

sametya govinda-kathā mitho ’gṛnaṁs

tri-loka-gītāḥ śṛṇu varṇayāmi te

Translation

The great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: As Yudhiṣṭhira and the others were thus praising Lord Kṛṣṇa, the crest jewel of all sublimely glorified personalities, the women of the Andhaka and Kaurava clans met with one another and began discussing topics about Govinda that are sung throughout the three worlds. Please listen as I relate these to you.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Gather to Hear About Govinda

  1. 1

    Yudhiṣṭhira and the others praised Kṛṣṇa as the crest jewel of all sublimely glorified personalities.

  2. 2

    The women of the Andhaka and Kaurava clans gathered and discussed topics about Govinda that are sung throughout the three worlds.

  3. 3

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī invites his listener to hear these discussions as he relates them.

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 83: Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa returned from His meeting with the gopīs and asked King Yudhiṣṭhira and His other relatives whether they were well. They replied, “My Lord, anyone who has just once imbibed through his ears the honey of Your pastimes can never know misfortune.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.83
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-ṛṣiḥ uvācathe great sage, Śukadeva, said
  2. itithus
  3. uttamaḥ-ślokaof great personalities who are glorified in choice poetry
  4. śikhā-maṇimthe crest jewel (Lord Kṛṣṇa)
  5. janeṣuHis devotees
  6. abhiṣṭuvatsuwhile they were glorifying
  7. andhaka-kauravaof the Andhaka and Kaurava clans
  8. striyaḥthe women
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.83

    In this verse: “glorified”

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 can my conversations make more room for hearing about Govinda?

Practice

Share one sentence from this translation with someone and discuss its praise of Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayGather to Hear About GovindaThis 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 10.83.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.