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 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 3 · Chapter 2: Remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa
3.2.263.2.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.2.27

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Uddhavasince 3.2.7inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitUddhava → Vidura

परीतो वत्सपैर्वत्सांश्चारयन् व्यहरद्विभु: ।

यमुनोपवने कूजद्‌द्विजसंकुलिताङ्‌घ्रिपे ॥ २७ ॥

parīto vatsapair vatsāṁś

cārayan vyaharad vibhuḥ

yamunopavane kūjad-

dvija-saṅkulitāṅghripe

Translation

In His childhood, the Almighty Lord was surrounded by cowherd boys and calves, and thus He traveled on the shore of the Yamunā river, through gardens densely covered with trees and filled with vibrations of chirping birds.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Loving Friendship With the Almighty Lord

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa tended calves with cowherd boys who had been great ṛṣis and yogīs in previous births. They loved Him as their most intimate friend and eagerly awaited meeting Him each morning.

  2. 2

    The trees, birds and beasts of Vṛndāvana were pious living entities born there to please the Lord and His companions. The gardens beside the Yamunā formed the setting for their joyful activities.

  3. 3

    Although appearing as a boy, Kṛṣṇa remained the Almighty Lord and killed great demons. Lord Caitanya taught that Vṛndāvana is identical with the Lord and therefore worshipable by devotees.

Key points from the purport
  • Because the Lord was a child, He was put in charge of the calves with His cowherd boyfriends.
  • All these trees and birds and beasts were pious living entities born in the transcendental abode of Vṛndāvana just to give pleasure to the Lord and His eternal associates, the cowherd boys.
  • Lord Caitanya recommended this land of the Lord as identical with the Lord and therefore worshipable by the devotees.

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

Separation → Devotional remembrance. Uddhava's tears and silence make remembrance emotionally immediate.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 3: Vidura meets Uddhava and hears of Kṛṣṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 2: Remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa

Uddhava remembers Kṛṣṇa in devotional ecstasy and recounts His disappearance, supremacy, and childhood activities.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. parītaḥsurrounded by
  2. vatsapaiḥcowherd boys
  3. vatsāncalves
  4. cārayanherding, tending
  5. vyaharatenjoyed by traveling
  6. vibhuḥthe Almighty
  7. yamunāthe Yamunā river
  8. upavanegardens on the shore
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.2

    In this verse: “cowherd boys”, “friend”, “companions”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.2

    In this verse: “devotees”, “worshipable”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.2

    In this verse: “childhood”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might the cowherd boys’ eagerness to meet Kṛṣṇa deepen your own desire to remember Him?

Practice

Before sleeping tonight, set aside a brief time tomorrow morning to remember Kṛṣṇa’s activities in Vṛndāvana.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.2's connections

Live this todayLoving Friendship With the Almighty LordThis 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 3.2.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
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