Canto 10: The Summum BonumChapter 20: The Rainy Season and Autumn in Vṛndāvana

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.20.9

śrutvā parjanya-ninadaḿ

maṇḍukāḥ sasṛjur giraḥ

tūṣṇīḿ śayānāḥ prāg yadvad

brāhmaṇā niyamātyaye

SYNONYMS

śrutvā — hearing; parjanya — of the rain clouds; ninadam — the resounding; maṇḍukāḥ — the frogs; sasṛjuḥ — emitted; giraḥ — their sounds; tūṣṇīm — silently; śayānāḥ — lying; prāk — previously; yadvat — just as; brāhmaṇāḥbrāhmaṇa students; niyama-atyaye — after finishing their morning duties.

TRANSLATION

The frogs, who had all along been lying silent, suddenly began croaking when they heard the rumbling of the rain clouds, in the same way that brāhmaṇa students, who perform their morning duties in silence begin reciting their lessons when called by their teacher.

PURPORT

Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, "After the first rainfall, when there is a thundering sound in the clouds, all the frogs begin to croak, like students suddenly engaged in reading their studies. Students are generally supposed to rise early in the morning. They do not usually arise of their own accord, however, but only when there is a bell sounded in the temple or in the cultural institution. By the order of the spiritual master they immediately rise, and after finishing their morning duties they sit down to study the Vedas or chant Vedic mantras. Similarly, everyone is sleeping in the darkness of Kali-yuga, but when there is a great ācārya, by his calling only everyone takes to the study of the Vedas to acquire actual knowledge."

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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