1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter

Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 90: Summary of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Glories

10.90.19 10.90.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.90.20

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

मेघ श्रीमंस्त्वमसि दयितो यादवेन्द्रस्य नूनं

श्रीवत्साङ्कं वयमिव भवान् ध्यायति प्रेमबद्ध: ।

अत्युत्कण्ठ: शवलहृदयोऽस्मद्विधो बाष्पधारा:

स्मृत्वा स्मृत्वा विसृजसि मुहुर्दु:खदस्तत्प्रसङ्ग: ॥ २० ॥

megha śrīmaṁs tvam asi dayito yādavendrasya nūnaṁ

śrīvatsāṅkaṁ vayam iva bhavān dhyāyati prema-baddhaḥ

aty-utkaṇṭhaḥ śavala-hṛdayo ’smad-vidho bāṣpa-dhārāḥ

smṛtvā smṛtvā visṛjasi muhur duḥkha-das tat-prasaṅgaḥ

Translation

O revered cloud, you are indeed very dear to the chief of the Yādavas, who bears the mark of Śrīvatsa. Like us, you are bound to Him by love and are meditating upon Him. Your heart is distraught with great eagerness, as our hearts are, and as you remember Him again and again you shed a torrent of tears. Association with Kṛṣṇa brings such misery!

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.

Seeing a Cloud as Kṛṣṇa’s Loving Friend

1
The cloud acts as Lord Kṛṣṇa’s friend by shielding Him from the scorching sun. The queens see such a well-wisher as constantly meditating on Him with concern for His welfare.
2
Although the cloud shares the Lord’s blue complexion, His distinctive features, such as the Śrīvatsa mark, especially attract its meditation.
3
The queens see the rain as tears shed in eager remembrance of Kṛṣṇa. In their own loving distress, they advise the cloud not to take so much interest in Him.

Key points from the purport

The ācāryas explain this verse as follows: The cloud acts as the friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa by shielding Him from the scorching rays of the sun, and certainly such an earnest well-wisher of the Lord must constantly meditate on Him with concern for His welfare.
Although the cloud shares the Lord’s blue complexion, it is Lord Kṛṣṇa’s distinctive features, such as His Śrīvatsa mark, that especially attract him to this meditation.
Simply unhappiness: the cloud is depressed and thus constantly sheds tears on the pretext of raining.

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

Chapter 90: Summary of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Glories

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

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. Lord Kṛṣṇa begot ten sons in the womb of each of His queens.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.90

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

meghaO cloud
śrī-manO honored one
tvamyou
asiare
dayitaḥdear friend
yādava-indrasyaof the chief of the Yādavas
nūnamcertainly
śrīvatsa-aṅkamupon the one who bears (on His chest) the special mark known as Śrīvatsa

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: “love”
Karuṇā · Compassion
Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.90
In this verse: “welfare”, “distress”
Sakhya · Sacred friendship
The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.90
In this verse: “friend”

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 do the queens see both loving service and longing in the cloud?

Practice

Recall the cloud’s sheltering service and spend a moment remembering Kṛṣṇa’s Śrīvatsa mark.

Live this todaySeeing a Cloud as Kṛṣṇa’s Loving FriendThis 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 10.90.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories