“Srimad-Bhagavatam – Canto Ten” by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Summary: Srimad-Bhagavatam is compared to the ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge. Also known as the Bhagavata Purana, this multi-volume work elaborates on the pastimes of Lord Krishna and His devotees, and includes detailed descriptions of, among other phenomena, the process of creation and annihilation of the universe. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada considered the translation of the Bhagavatam his life’s work. COPYRIGHT NOTICE: This is an evaluation copy of the printed version of this book, and is NOT FOR RESALE. This evaluation copy is intended for personal non- commercial use only, under the “fair use” guidelines established by international copyright laws. You may use this electronic file to evaluate the printed version of this book, for your own private use, or for short excerpts used in academic works, research, student papers, presentations, and the like. You can distribute this evaluation copy to others over the Internet, so long as you keep this copyright information intact. You may not reproduce more than ten percent (10%) of this book in any media without the express written permission from the copyright holders. Reference any excerpts in the following way: “Excerpted from “Srimad-Bhagavatam” by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, courtesy of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, www.Krishna.com.” This book and electronic file is Copyright 1977-2003 Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, 3764 Watseka Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034, USA. All rights reserved. For any questions, comments, correspondence, or to evaluate dozens of other books in this collection, visit the website of the publishers, www.Krishna.com. Canto 10: "The Summum Bonum" Tenth Canto SUMMARY OF THE TENTH CANTO A short description of each chapter of this Tenth Canto is as follows. The First Chapter, which has sixty-nine verses, describes Maharaja Pariksit's eagerness to learn about the incarnation of Lord Krsna, and it also tells how Kamsa killed the six sons of Devaki because of his fear of being killed by her eighth child. The Second Chapter contains forty-two verses, describing the entrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, into the womb of Devaki to fulfill His mission of killing Kamsa. When Lord Krsna was within Devaki's womb, all the demigods, headed by Brahma, offered prayers to the Lord. The Third Chapter contains fifty-three verses. This chapter describes the appearance of Lord Krsna as He is. The Lord's father and mother, understanding the Lord's appearance, offered prayers. Fearing Kamsa, the Lord's father brought the child from Mathura to Gokula Vrndavana. The Fourth Chapter contains forty-six verses, which tell of a prophecy by the goddess Candika. After consulting demoniac friends, Kamsa began killing all the children born at that time, since he thought this would be to his benefit. The Fifth Chapter contains thirty-two verses, describing how Nanda Maharaja performed the birth ceremony of Krsna and then went to Mathura, where he met Vasudeva. The Sixth Chapter contains forty-four verses. In this chapter, Nanda Maharaja, following the advice of his friend Vasudeva, returns to Gokula and on the way sees the dead body of the Putana demoness and is astonished at her having been killed by Krsna. The Seventh Chapter, which contains thirty-seven verses, describes Maharaja Pariksit's enthusiasm to hear about the boyhood pastimes of Lord Krsna, who killed Sakatasura and Trnavartasura and showed within His mouth the entire cosmic manifestation. In the Eighth Chapter there are fifty-two verses, which describe Gargamuni's performing the name-giving ceremony of Krsna and Balarama and how Krsna and Balarama performed playful childish activities, crawling on the ground, trying to walk with Their small legs, and stealing butter and breaking the pots. This chapter also describes the vision of the universal form. The Ninth Chapter, which has twenty-three verses, describes how Krsna disturbed His mother while she was churning butter. Because she left Krsna to see to the stove, where the milk was boiling, and did not allow Him to suck her breast, Krsna was very angry and broke a pot of yogurt. To chastise her naughty child, mother Yasoda wanted to bind Him with rope, but every time she tried she failed because of a shortage of rope when the time came to knot it. In the Tenth Chapter there are forty-three verses. This chapter describes how Krsna, as Damodara, caused the twin Yamalarjuna trees to fall and how the two demigods within the trees were delivered by the mercy of Krsna. In the Eleventh Chapter there are fifty-nine verses. This chapter describes how Nanda Maharaja released Krsna from the ropes, how Krsna showed His mercy to a fruit seller while exchanging grains for fruit, and how Nanda Maharaja and others decided to leave Gokula for Vrndavana, where Krsna killed Vatsasura and Bakasura. Chapter Twelve contains forty-four verses, describing Krsna's pastimes with the cowherd boys in the forest and the killing of the demon named Aghasura. Chapter Thirteen contains sixty-four verses, describing how Brahma stole Krsna's calves and His friends, the cowherd boys. Krsna expanded His pastimes for one year, representing Himself as the calves and boys in forms exactly like their own. In this way He bewildered Brahma, who at last surrendered when his illusion was over. The Fourteenth Chapter contains sixty-one verses. In this chapter, Brahma offers prayers to Krsna after fully understanding Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Fifteenth Chapter contains fifty-two verses. This chapter describes how Krsna entered Talavana Forest with Balarama, how Balarama killed Dhenukasura, and how Krsna protected the cowherd boys and cows from the poisonous effects of Kaliya. The Sixteenth Chapter contains sixty-seven verses. This chapter describes the chastisement of Kaliya by Krsna, and it also describes the prayers offered by Kaliya's wives. In the Seventeenth Chapter there are twenty-five verses. This chapter describes why Kaliya entered the River Yamuna after leaving his home, Nagalaya, one of the dvipas, which according to some corresponds to the Fiji Islands. This chapter also describes how Garuda was cursed by Saubhari Rsi, how the cowherd boys, Krsna's friends, were enlivened when Krsna emerged from the Yamuna, and how Krsna stopped the forest fire and saved the sleeping inhabitants of Vraja. The Eighteenth Chapter contains thirty-two verses, giving a description of Krsna and Balarama, Their picnics within the forest, the climate of Vrndavana in the summer and the spring, and Lord Balarama's killing of Pralambasura. Chapter Nineteen contains sixteen verses, describing Krsna's entering the forest known as Munjaranya, saving the cowherd boys and cows from the forest fire, and bringing them to Bhandiravana. Chapter Twenty contains forty-nine verses. This chapter describes the enjoyment of Balarama and Krsna in the forest with the cowherd boys during the rainy season, and it gives various instructions through analogies concerning the rainy season and autumn. Chapter Twenty-one contains twenty verses, describing how Krsna entered the forest of Vrndavana in the autumn, playing His flute, and how He attracted the gopis, who were singing His glories. The Twenty-second Chapter contains thirty- eight verses, describing how the gopis prayed to the goddess Katyayani to obtain Krsna as their husband and how Krsna later stole the garments of the gopis while the gopis were bathing in the Yamuna. The Twenty-third Chapter contains fifty- two verses, describing how the cowherd boys, being very hungry, followed Krsna's directions by begging some food for Him and themselves from brahmanas engaged in performing yajnas. The brahmanas refused to give food to Krsna and Balarama, although the boys begged for it, but the wives of the brahmanas agreed, and therefore Krsna bestowed His mercy upon them. The Twenty-fourth Chapter contains thirty-eight verses, describing how Krsna defied King Indra, despite Indra's position of prestige, by stopping the indra- yajna and instead worshiping Govardhana. The Twenty-fifth Chapter contains thirty-three verses. As described in this chapter, because the indra-yajna was stopped, King Indra was very angry, and to kill the inhabitants of Vrndavana, Vraja, he flooded the entire area with rain. Krsna, however, accepted King Indra's challenge by lifting Govardhana Hill as an umbrella to protect Vrndavana and all the cows. The Twenty-sixth Chapter contains twenty-five verses, describing how Nanda Maharaja, seeing the extraordinary activities of Krsna, was struck with wonder and how he thus narrated for all the cowherd men the whole story of Krsna's opulence, as foretold by Gargamuni. Chapter Twenty-seven, which contains twenty-eight verses, describes how King Indra, upon seeing Krsna's unlimited power, worshiped Lord Krsna, who was fully washed with milk supplied by the surabhi and who thus became known as Govinda. The Twenty-eighth Chapter contains seventeen verses. In this chapter Krsna saves His father, Nanda Maharaja, from the custody of Varuna and shows the cowherd men how Vaikunthaloka is situated. The Twenty-ninth Chapter contains forty-eight verses, describing how Krsna talked to the gopis before performing the rasa-lila and how, after the beginning of the rasa-lila, Krsna disappeared from the scene. Chapter Thirty contains forty-four verses, describing how the gopis, being separated from Krsna, went mad and began to wander in the forest in search of Him. The gopis met Srimati Radharani, the daughter of King Vrsabhanu, and they all wandered on the bank of the Yamuna searching for Krishna. Chapter Thirty-one contains nineteen verses, describing how the bereaved gopis waited in great anxiety to meet Krsna.