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

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 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 9.24.65

Who is speaking and story frame

यस्याननं मकरकुण्डलचारुकर्ण-भ्राजत्कपोलसुभगं सविलासहासम् । नित्योत्सवं न ततृपुर्दृशिभि: पिबन्त्योनार्यो नराश्च मुदिता: कुपिता निमेश्च ॥ ६५ ॥

yasyānanaṁ makara-kuṇḍala-cāru-karṇa-

bhrājat-kapola-subhagaṁ savilāsa-hāsam

nityotsavaṁ na tatṛpur dṛśibhiḥ pibantyo

nāryo narāś ca muditāḥ kupitā nimeś ca

Translation

Kṛṣṇa’s face is decorated with ornaments, such as earrings resembling sharks. His ears are beautiful, His cheeks brilliant, and His smiling attractive to everyone. Whoever sees Lord Kṛṣṇa sees a festival. His face and body are fully satisfying for everyone to see, but the devotees are angry at the creator for the disturbance caused by the momentary blinking of their eyes.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seeing Kṛṣṇa Is a Daily Festival

  1. 1

    Unless one is qualified to understand Kṛṣṇa, one cannot appreciate His presence on earth. Knowing Him in truth is rare.

  2. 2

    For the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, seeing Kṛṣṇa was a daily festival. Although they constantly saw His beautiful features, they always longed to see more.

  3. 3

    The gopīs minutely observed Kṛṣṇa’s smiling face and enjoyed transcendental bliss. Their longing to see Him was so deep that even blinking seemed an unbearable interruption.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, especially the beauty of His face, is described here.
  • Kṛṣṇa’s smiling face, with His cheeks, His lips, the ornaments in His ears, His chewing of betel nuts — all this was minutely observed by the gopīs, who thus enjoyed transcendental bliss, so much so that they were never fully satisfied to see Kṛṣṇa’s face, but instead condemned the creator of the body for making eyelids that obstructed their vision.
  • The beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s face was therefore much more appreciated by the gopīs than by His friends the cowherd boys or even by Yaśodā Mātā, who was also interested in decorating the face of Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 9.24.65 quotesBG 7.3

As stated by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.3): “Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Historical movement → Anticipation. The narrative narrows toward its divine center.

Chapters 20–24 of Canto 9: Lineages leading to the appearance of Kṛṣṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 24: Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Vasudeva had many other sons by his other wives, and the eighth son to appear from the womb of Devakī was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who delivered the entire world from the burden of demons. This chapter ends by glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vāsudeva.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.24
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yasyawhose
  2. ānanamface
  3. makara-kuṇḍala-cāru-karṇadecorated by earrings resembling sharks and by beautiful ears
  4. bhrājatbrilliantly decorated
  5. kapolaforehead
  6. subhagamdeclaring all opulences
  7. sa-vilāsa-hāsamwith smiles of enjoyment
  8. nitya-utsavamwhenever one sees Him, one feels festive
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 9.24

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 9.24

    In this verse: “understand”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 9.24

    In this verse: “longing”

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 devotees’ constant longing to see Kṛṣṇa teach me about loving attention?

Practice

Slowly reread the description of Kṛṣṇa’s face, pausing to give each feature your full attention.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todaySeeing Kṛṣṇa Is a Daily FestivalThis 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 9.24.65? Get an answer from the verses themselves.