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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 10.10.17

Who is speaking and story frame

दरिद्रस्यैव युज्यन्ते साधव: समदर्शिन: ।

सद्भ‍ि: क्षिणोति तं तर्षं तत आराद्विशुद्ध्यति ॥ १७ ॥

daridrasyaiva yujyante

sādhavaḥ sama-darśinaḥ

sadbhiḥ kṣiṇoti taṁ tarṣaṁ

tata ārād viśuddhyati

Translation

Saintly persons may freely associate with those who are poverty-stricken, but not with those who are rich. A poverty-stricken man, by association with saintly persons, very soon becomes uninterested in material desires, and the dirty things within the core of his heart are cleansed away.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Saintly Association Cleanses the Heart

  1. 1

    Saintly persons want to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness to both the poor and the rich. The purport describes how the poor more readily welcome them and benefit from their presence.

  2. 2

    By receiving instructions from saintly persons, one becomes increasingly purified of material desires.

  3. 3

    Material life means forgetting Kṛṣṇa and increasing desires for sense gratification. Cleansing the heart is necessary to become free from the blazing fire of material existence.

Key points from the purport
  • Sādhus, saintly persons, want to preach to both the poor and the rich, but the poor take more advantage of the sādhus’ preaching than the rich do.
  • He posts a sign saying “Beware of Dog” and avoids the association of saintly persons, whereas a poor man keeps his door open for them and thus benefits by their association more than a rich man does.
  • If one gets the advantage of association with saintly persons, by their instructions one becomes more and more purified of material desires.

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· 2

The purport of SB 10.10.17 quotesSB 10.8.4

It is said, mahad-vicalanaṁ nṝṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām.

The purport of SB 10.10.17 quotesSB 3.25.25

śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati. If one gets the advantage of association with saintly persons, by their instructions one becomes more and more purified of material desires.

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

Worry and play → Parental tenderness. The Supreme becomes the beloved child of His devotees.

Chapters 5–11 of Canto 10: Gokula, Yaśodā and the infant Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: The Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

For such bewildered persons ( ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā), who especially deride devotees, the proper punishment is to be again stricken with poverty. The Vedic rules and regulations prescribe how to control the false sense of prestige by the practice of yama, niyama and so on ( tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena ca).
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.10
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. daridrasyaof a person who is poverty-stricken
  2. evaindeed
  3. yujyantemay easily associate
  4. sādhavaḥsaintly persons
  5. sama-darśinaḥalthough sādhus are equal to everyone, to the poor and the rich, the poor man can take advantage of their association
  6. sadbhiḥby the association of such saintly persons
  7. kṣiṇotireduces
  8. tamthe original cause of material suffering
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.10

    In this verse: “cleansed”, “purified”, “cleansing”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.10

    In this verse: “material”, “sense gratification”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.10

    In this verse: “free from”

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 might be keeping me from welcoming instructions that could purify my heart?

Practice

Spend five attentive minutes reading these instructions, and identify one material desire you can give less importance to today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySaintly Association Cleanses the HeartThis 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 10.10.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.