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

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 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 10.1.13

Who is speaking and story frame

नैषातिदु:सहा क्षुन्मां त्यक्तोदमपि बाधते । पिबन्तं त्वन्मुखाम्भोजच्युतं हरिकथामृतम् ॥ १३ ॥

naiṣātiduḥsahā kṣun māṁ

tyaktodam api bādhate

pibantaṁ tvan-mukhāmbhoja-

cyutaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam

Translation

Because of my vow on the verge of death, I have given up even drinking water, yet because I am drinking the nectar of topics about Kṛṣṇa, which is flowing from the lotus mouth of your Lordship, my hunger and thirst, which are extremely difficult to bear, cannot hinder me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa-kathā Nourishes the Spirit Soul

  1. 1

    Although Mahārāja Parīkṣit was fasting as he prepared to meet death, hunger and thirst did not hinder his hearing. Topics about Kṛṣṇa were nectar to him.

  2. 2

    Every living being is a spirit soul and needs spiritual food. The purport describes the world as suffering from spiritual thirst and unaware of the nectar of kṛṣṇa-kathā.

  3. 3

    Hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā from a realized soul like Śukadeva Gosvāmī is necessary to relish this nectar. Such hearing diminishes material desires and leads toward freedom from repeated birth and death.

Key points from the purport
  • As a human being, he was certainly both hungry and thirsty, and therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī might have wanted to stop narrating the transcendental topics of Kṛṣṇa; but despite his fast, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was not at all fatigued.
  • To stop this repetition of birth and death, kṛṣṇa-kathā, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is absolutely necessary.
  • In relation to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we actually see that those who have tasted the nectar of kṛṣṇa-kathā lose all material desires, whereas those who cannot understand Kṛṣṇa or kṛṣṇa-kathā regard the Kṛṣṇa conscious life as “brainwashing” and “mind control.”

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 10.1.13 quotesSB 7.5.30

Their inclinations toward Kṛṣṇa are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both.”

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

Terror → Wonder and relief. The threat of destruction yields to divine appearance.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 10: Threat from Kaṁsa and Kṛṣṇa's birth. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa: Introduction

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Now Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī how His Lordship Baladeva, the son of Rohiṇī, could have appeared in the womb of Devakī. Why did Kṛṣṇa transfer Himself from Mathurā to Vṛndāvana, King Parīkṣit asked, and how did He live there with His family members?
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.1
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. eṣāall this
  3. ati-duḥsahāextremely difficult to bear
  4. kṣuthunger
  5. māmunto me
  6. tyakta-udameven after giving up drinking water
  7. apialso
  8. bādhatedoes not hinder
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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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “death”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “hearing”

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

How much attention do you give to your need for spiritual nourishment?

Practice

Spend five minutes attentively reading Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s teachings about Kṛṣṇa.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 7.5.30

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.1's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa-kathā Nourishes the Spirit SoulThis 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 10.1.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.