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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 1: The Advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa: Introduction
10.1.4510.1.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.1.46

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.1.46inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

एवं स सामभिर्भेदैर्बोध्यमानोऽपि दारुण: । न न्यवर्तत कौरव्य पुरुषादाननुव्रत: ॥ ४६ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

evaṁ sa sāmabhir bhedair

bodhyamāno ’pi dāruṇaḥ

na nyavartata kauravya

puruṣādān anuvrataḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O best of the Kuru dynasty, Kaṁsa was fiercely cruel and was actually a follower of the Rākṣasas. Therefore he could be neither pacified nor terrified by the good instructions given by Vasudeva. He did not care about the results of sinful activities, either in this life or in the next.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Cruelty Can Block Good Instruction

  1. 1

    Kaṁsa was fiercely cruel and followed the Rākṣasas.

  2. 2

    Vasudeva's good instructions could neither pacify him nor make him afraid to act wrongly.

  3. 3

    Kaṁsa did not care about the results of sinful activities, either in this life or in the next.

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:

Because Kaṁsa was not satisfied by Vasudeva’s instructions, Vasudeva devised a plan. He offered to bring Kaṁsa all of Devakī’s children so that Kaṁsa could kill them.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. evamin this way
  3. saḥhe (Kaṁsa)
  4. sāmabhiḥby attempts to pacify him (Kaṁsa)
  5. bhedaiḥby moral instructions that one should not be cruel to anyone else
  6. bodhyamānaḥ apieven being pacified
  7. dāruṇaḥhe who was the most fiercely cruel
  8. na nyavartatacould not be stopped (from the grievous act)
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “afraid”

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

Am I willing to hear good advice when it challenges what I want to do?

Practice

Before acting on an angry impulse today, pause to consider its harmful results.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCruelty Can Block Good InstructionThis 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.

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