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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 1: The Advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa: Introduction
10.1.5-710.1.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.1.8

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 10.1.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

रोहिण्यास्तनय: प्रोक्तो राम: सङ्कर्षणस्त्वया । देवक्या गर्भसम्बन्ध: कुतो देहान्तरं विना ॥ ८ ॥

rohiṇyās tanayaḥ prokto

rāmaḥ saṅkarṣaṇas tvayā

devakyā garbha-sambandhaḥ

kuto dehāntaraṁ vinā

Translation

My dear Śukadeva Gosvāmī, you have already explained that Saṅkarṣaṇa, who belongs to the second quadruple, appeared as the son of Rohiṇī named Balarāma. If Balarāma was not transferred from one body to another, how is it possible that He was first in the womb of Devakī and then in the womb of Rohiṇī? Kindly explain this to me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Ask respectfully to deepen understanding

  1. 1

    Balarāma is Saṅkarṣaṇa Himself. He is well known as the son of Rohiṇī.

  2. 2

    Balarāma is also known as the son of Devakī. Parīkṣit Mahārāja wanted to understand the mystery of His being the son of both mothers.

  3. 3

    Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī how Balarāma could be connected with both wombs without changing bodies. He respectfully requested an explanation.

Key points from the purport
  • Here is a question particularly directed at understanding Balarāma, who is Saṅkarṣaṇa Himself.
  • Balarāma is well known as the son of Rohiṇī, yet it is also known that He was the son of Devakī.
  • Parīkṣit Mahārāja wanted to understand the mystery of Balarāma’s being the son of both Devakī and Rohiṇī.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. rohiṇyāḥof Rohiṇīdevī, the mother of Baladeva
  2. tanayaḥthe son
  3. proktaḥis well known
  4. rāmaḥBalarāma
  5. saṅkarṣaṇaḥBalarāma is none other than Saṅkarṣaṇa, the first Deity in the quadruple group (Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna and Vāsudeva)
  6. tvayāby you (it is so said)
  7. devakyāḥof Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa
  8. garbha-sambandhaḥconnected with the womb
3

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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “kindly”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “mothers”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “understand”

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

What would you like to understand more clearly about Balarāma?

Practice

Write down Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s question in your own words, keeping it as a question rather than supplying an answer not yet given.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAsk respectfully to deepen understandingThis 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 10.1.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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