Shloka 11

Devanagari script

कृष्णस् तु तत्-स्तन-विशज्जित-कुङ्कुम-स्रक् ।

क्रीडाभिषङ्ग-धुत-कुन्तल-वृन्द-बन्धः ॥

सिञ्चन् मुहुर् युवतिभिः प्रतिषिच्यमानो

रेमे करेणुभिर् इवेभ-पतिः परीतः ॥

Transliteration

kṛṣṇas tu tat-stana-viṣajjita-kuṅkuma-srak $ krīḍābhiṣaṅga-dhuta-kuntala-vṛnda-bandhaḥ & kṛṣṇas tu tat-stana-viṣajjita-kuṅkuma-srak $ krīḍābhiṣaṅga-dhuta-kuntala-vṛnda-bandhaḥ & siñcan muhur yuvatibhiḥ pratiṣicyamāno % reme kareṇubhir ivebha-patiḥ parītaḥ //

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa portait une guirlande tachée du kuṅkuma resté collé aux seins des jeunes femmes, et l’attache de sa chevelure s’était défaite sous l’ardeur du jeu. Il les aspergeait sans cesse, tandis qu’elles le mouillaient en retour; entouré de ces jeunes dames, il s’ébatit comme le seigneur des éléphants au milieu de ses éléphantes.

Synonyms

• kṛṣṇaḥ: Krishna
• kṛṣṇaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): contrast/emphasis

• tat-stana-viṣajjita-kuṅkuma-srak: (wearing) a garland smeared with saffron from her breasts
• tat-stana-viṣajjita-kuṅkuma-srak: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + stana (प्रातिपदिक) + viṣajjita (कृदन्त, vi√saj) + kuṅkuma (प्रातिपदिक) + srak (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास-श्रृङ्खला: ‘तत्-स्तन-विशज्जित’ = ‘smeared/attached by her breasts’; ‘कुङ्कुम-स्रक्’ = ‘garland with saffron’; whole: ‘garland smeared with saffron stuck from her breasts’ (as attribute of kṛṣṇaḥ)

• krīḍābhiṣaṅga-dhuta-kuntala-vṛnda-bandhaḥ: whose hair-bundles’ ties were loosened by intense play
• krīḍābhiṣaṅga-dhuta-kuntala-vṛnda-bandhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krīḍā (प्रातिपदिक) + abhiṣaṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + dhuta (कृदन्त, √dhū) + kuntala (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛnda (प्रातिपदिक) + bandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: ‘यस्य ...’—whose ‘lock-bundles’ (kuntala-vṛnda) ‘bindings’ (bandha) were ‘shaken loose’ (dhuta) due to ‘close play’ (krīḍā-abhiṣaṅga)

• siñcan: sprinkling
• siñcan: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇya (कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sic (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), प्रथमा एकवचन पुंलिङ्ग; ‘sprinkling’

• muhuḥ: repeatedly
• muhuḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: muhuḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘again and again’

• yuvatibhiḥ: by the young women
• yuvatibhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• pratiṣicyamānaḥ: being sprinkled back
• pratiṣicyamānaḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇya (कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati√sic (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि (present passive participle), प्रथमा एकवचन पुंलिङ्ग: ‘being sprinkled in return’

• reme: he sported/enjoyed
• reme: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ram (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• kareṇubhiḥ: with female elephants
• kareṇubhiḥ: Upamāna-sahakārī (उपमानसहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kareṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā-dyotaka (उपमाद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• ibha-patiḥ: the lord of elephants
• ibha-patiḥ: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ibha (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘इभानां पतिः’ = ‘lord of elephants’

• parītaḥ: surrounded
• parītaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parīta (कृदन्त, pari√i)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त: ‘surrounded’

Purport

This verse continues the description of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s festive, intimate pastimes with His queens during a water-sport. The imagery is deliberately vivid: kuṅkuma on the Lord’s garland and His loosened hair indicate closeness, spontaneity, and the abandon of loving play—yet the mood remains transcendental, not mundane. The Bhāgavata uses familiar natural comparisons (the elephant-king among she-elephants) to communicate majesty and affectionate leadership: Kṛṣṇa is the central beloved, and the queens’ playful splashing expresses their exclusive love (mādhurya-bhāva) and mutual delight. Theologically, the verse affirms that the Supreme Lord can engage in humanlike līlā while remaining completely pure and self-satisfied. His pastimes attract conditioned souls away from material imitation toward devotion: hearing these līlās with reverence strengthens śraddhā and reminds the reader that divine love is dynamic, personal, and joyful. The queens’ reciprocal actions (“sprinkling and being sprinkled”) highlight bhakti as a living relationship—service and response—rather than a one-sided abstraction.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Kṛṣṇa’s queens (yuvatīs)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Krishna’s pastimes with the queens of Dvaraka?

This verse depicts Kṛṣṇa joyfully sporting with His queens in a water-play, showing affectionate reciprocity while affirming His supreme, transcendental position.

Why is Krishna compared to the lord of elephants in this verse?

The comparison conveys both majesty and affectionate centrality—Kṛṣṇa is surrounded by devoted queens just as an elephant-king is encircled by his she-elephants.

How can devotees apply this verse in modern spiritual life?

By hearing Kṛṣṇa-līlā with reverence (not imitation), one nurtures personal devotion and redirects the mind from worldly romance to divine relationship and service.