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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 90: Summary of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Glories
10.90.1510.90.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.90.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The queenssince 10.90.15inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नेत्रे निमीलयसि नक्तमद‍ृष्टबन्धु-

स्त्वं रोरवीषि करुणं बत चक्रवाकि ।

दास्यं गत वयमिवाच्युतपादजुष्टां

किं वा स्रजं स्पृहयसे कवरेण वोढुम् ॥ १६ ॥

netre nimīlayasi naktam adṛṣṭa-bandhus

tvaṁ roravīṣi karuṇaṁ bata cakravāki

dāsyaṁ gata vayam ivācyuta-pāda-juṣṭāṁ

kiṁ vā srajaṁ spṛhayase kavareṇa voḍhum

Translation

Poor cakravākī, even after closing your eyes, you continue to cry pitifully through the night for your unseen mate. Or is it that, like us, you have become the servant of Acyuta and hanker to wear in your braided hair the garland He has blessed with the touch of His feet?

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.

Longing to Serve Acyuta

  1. 1

    The queens addressed the cakravākī, who cried through the night for her unseen mate even with her eyes closed.

  2. 2

    They wondered whether she, like them, had become a servant of Acyuta.

  3. 3

    They asked whether she longed to wear in her braided hair a garland blessed by the touch of His feet.

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. netreyour eyes
  2. nimīlayasiyou keep closed
  3. naktamduring the night
  4. adṛṣṭanot seen
  5. bandhuḥwhose beloved
  6. tvamyou
  7. roravīṣiare crying
  8. karuṇampitifully
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.90

    In this verse: “blessed”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

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

    In this verse: “cried”

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

What does the queens’ wish for a garland touched by Acyuta’s feet reveal about their desire to serve Him?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer expressing your wish to serve Acyuta.

Live this todayLonging to Serve AcyutaThis 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.

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