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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 10.9.17

Who is speaking and story frame

एवं स्वगेहदामानि यशोदा सन्दधत्यपि ।

गोपीनां सुस्मयन्तीनां स्मयन्ती विस्मिताभवत् ॥ १७ ॥

evaṁ sva-geha-dāmāni

yaśodā sandadhaty api

gopīnāṁ susmayantīnāṁ

smayantī vismitābhavat

Translation

Thus mother Yaśodā joined whatever ropes were available in the household, but still she failed in her attempt to bind Kṛṣṇa. Mother Yaśodā’s friends, the elderly gopīs in the neighborhood, were smiling and enjoying the fun. Similarly, mother Yaśodā, although laboring in that way, was also smiling. All of them were struck with wonder.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Inconceivable Potency Inspires Wonder

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa was a small child who should have needed only a short rope to bind Him. Yet all the household ropes together remained too short.

  2. 2

    Mother Yaśodā and her elderly gopī friends were astonished. Even while laboring, mother Yaśodā joined them in smiling at this wonderful affair.

  3. 3

    The unchanging shortness was another exhibition of Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable potency. His mother and her friends wondered how it could be possible.

Key points from the purport
  • Actually this incident was wonderful because Kṛṣṇa was only a child with small hands.
  • All the ropes in the house combined together might have been hundreds of feet long, but still He was impossible to bind, for all the ropes together were still too short.
  • If the shortness of all the ropes were added together, it must have amounted to the width of hundreds of fingers.

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 9: Mother Yaśodā Binds Lord Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After mother Yaśodā bound Kṛṣṇa and became engaged in other household affairs, Kṛṣṇa observed two yamala-arjuna trees, which were actually Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, two sons of Kuvera who had been condemned by Nārada Muni to become trees. Kṛṣṇa, by His mercy, now began to proceed toward the trees to fulfill the desire of Nārada Muni.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.9
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evamin this manner
  2. sva-geha-dāmāniall the ropes available in the household
  3. yaśodāmother Yaśodā
  4. sandadhati apialthough she was joining one after another
  5. gopīnāmwhen all the other elderly gopī friends of mother Yaśodā
  6. su-smayantīnāmwere all taking pleasure in this funny affair
  7. smayantīmother Yaśodā was also smiling
  8. vismitā abhavatall of them were struck with wonder
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 10.9

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.9

    In this verse: “household”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.9

    In this verse: “friends”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this scene invite me to wonder at Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable potency?

Practice

Pause for a minute to picture mother Yaśodā and her friends smiling in astonishment.

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.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Inconceivable Potency Inspires WonderThis 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 10.9.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.