Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 11

Rāsa-līlā Begins; Divine Multiplication; Moral Doubt and Its Resolution

Devanagari script

तत्रैकांसगतं बाहुं कृष्णस्योत्पलसौरभम् । चन्दनालिप्तमाघ्राय हृष्टरोमा चुचुम्ब ह ॥ ११ ॥

Transliteration

tatraikāṁsa-gataṁ bāhuṁ kṛṣṇasyotpala-saurabham candanāliptam āghrāya hṛṣṭa-romā cucumba ha

Translation

Upon the shoulder of one gopī Kṛṣṇa placed His arm, whose natural blue-lotus fragrance was mixed with that of the sandalwood pulp anointing it. As the gopī relished that fragrance, her bodily hair stood on end in jubilation, and she kissed His arm.

Synonyms

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; deśa-adhikaraṇa (locative adverb)

• eka-aṁsa-gatam: resting on one shoulder
• eka-aṁsa-gatam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + aṁsa (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (√gam, धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta (past participle 'gata'); Napuṁsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana agreeing with bāhum; tatpuruṣa: 'eka-aṁse gata' = gone/placed on one shoulder

• bāhum: arm
• bāhum: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• kṛṣṇasya: of Krishna
• kṛṣṇasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• utpala-saurabham: having lotus-like fragrance
• utpala-saurabham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: utpala (प्रातिपदिक) + saurabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṁsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana agreeing with bāhum; tatpuruṣa: 'utpalasya saurabham' = lotus-fragrance

• candana-āliptam: smeared with sandal paste
• candana-āliptam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: candana (प्रातिपदिक) + ā-lipta (√lip, धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta (past passive participle 'āliptá'); Napuṁsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana agreeing with bāhum; tatpuruṣa: 'candanenāliptam' = smeared with sandal

• āghrāya: having smelled
• āghrāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√ghrā (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta; absolutive/gerund (ktvā-anta): having smelled

• hṛṣṭa-romā: (she) with thrilled/erect hairs
• hṛṣṭa-romā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛṣṭa (√hṛṣ, धातु) + roman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi: 'yasya romāṇi hṛṣṭāni' = one whose hairs stood on end; Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana (the gopī)

• cucumba: she kissed
• cucumba: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √cumb (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• ha: indeed
• ha: Nipāta (निपात/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; smaraṇa/vismaya-sūcaka nipāta (particle indicating emphasis/indeed)

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Gopī (one of the Vraja gopīs)

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam (10.33.11) say about the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇa?

It depicts a gopī’s intimate, reverent affection—her ecstatic bodily response and loving gesture—showing the depth of prema-bhakti centered solely on Kṛṣṇa.

Who is speaking this verse in the Rāsa-līlā chapter?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates these confidential pastimes to Mahārāja Parīkṣit while describing the rāsa dance in Vṛndāvana.

Practical application: what can a devotee learn from this verse today?

It teaches focused devotion—absorbing the mind and senses in remembrance of Kṛṣṇa with purity and reverence—while honoring these pastimes as sacred, not mundane.