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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 10.90.14

Who is speaking and story frame

ऊचुर्मुकुन्दैकधियो गिर उन्मत्तवज्जडम् ।

चिन्तयन्त्योऽरविन्दाक्षं तानि मे गदत: श‍ृणु ॥ १४ ॥

ūcur mukundaika-dhiyo

gira unmatta-vaj jaḍam

cintayantyo ’ravindākṣaṁ

tāni me gadataḥ śṛṇu

Translation

The queens would become stunned in ecstatic trance, their minds absorbed in Kṛṣṇa alone. Then, thinking of their lotus-eyed Lord, they would speak as if insane. Please hear these words from me as I relate them.

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.

Separation Felt Even in Kṛṣṇa’s Presence

  1. 1

    The queens became stunned in ecstatic trance, with their minds absorbed in Kṛṣṇa alone.

  2. 2

    Their apparent insanity was actually a manifestation of pure love of Godhead called prema-vaicitrya, the sixth progressive stage of that love.

  3. 3

    In prema-vaicitrya, extreme love brings distress over separation even in the beloved’s direct presence. This explains the queens’ extraordinary words.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that this superficial appearance of insanity in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s queens, as if they had become intoxicated by dhattūra or some other hallucinogenic drug, was in fact the manifestation of the sixth progressive stage of pure love of Godhead, technically known as prema-vaicitrya.
  • Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī refers to this variety of anurāga in his Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (15.134):

The purport'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

Awe → Reverent fulfillment. The canto closes with theological wonder.

Chapters 87–90 of Canto 10: The Vedas praise and the Lord's glories conclude. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 90: Summary of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Glories

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this way the queens would become totally absorbed in thoughts of Him. Sometimes, after playing with the Lord in the water, they would address various creatures — kurarī and cakravāka birds, the ocean, the moon, a cloud, a cuckoo, a mountain, a river and so on — declaring their great attachment to Śrī Kṛṣṇa on the pretext of commiserating with these creatures.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.90
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ūcuḥthey spoke
  2. mukundaupon Lord Kṛṣṇa
  3. ekaexclusively
  4. dhiyaḥwhose minds
  5. giraḥwords
  6. unmattacrazed persons
  7. vatas
  8. jaḍamstunned
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

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.90

    In this verse: “ecstatic”, “love”, “prema-vaicitrya”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.90

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.90

    In this verse: “separation”

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 does the purport change your understanding of the queens’ apparent insanity?

Practice

Read the definition of prema-vaicitrya slowly, remembering that these words express pure love of Godhead.

Live this todaySeparation Felt Even in Kṛṣṇa’s PresenceThis 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 10.90.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.