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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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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 17: The History of Kāliya
10.17.1010.17.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.17.11

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.17.2-3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अत्र प्रविश्य गरुडो यदि मत्स्यान् स खादति ।

सद्य: प्राणैर्वियुज्येत सत्यमेतद् ब्रवीम्यहम् ॥ ११ ॥

atra praviśya garuḍo

yadi matsyān sa khādati

sadyaḥ prāṇair viyujyeta

satyam etad bravīmy aham

Translation

If Garuḍa ever again enters this lake and eats the fish here, he will immediately lose his life. What I am saying is the truth.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

False Pride Endangers Spiritual Life

  1. 1

    Saubhari declared that Garuḍa would die if he entered the lake again and ate its fish. Material attachment kept Saubhari from seeing the situation spiritually.

  2. 2

    False pride led him to threaten a personal associate of the Supreme Lord. His offense cost him his power of austerity, spiritual beauty and happiness.

  3. 3

    An offensive attitude toward an exalted Vaiṣṇava destroys one’s auspicious position. Yet Saubhari was ultimately delivered because he had taken shelter of the Yamunā River in Śrī Vṛndāvana.

Key points from the purport
  • The ācāryas explain in this regard that because of Saubhari Muni’s material attachment and affection for a fish, he failed to see the situation from the spiritual viewpoint.
  • Because of false pride, Saubhari Muni lost his power of austerity, and with it his spiritual beauty and happiness.
  • As the Ninth Canto describes, Saubhari Muni married many beautiful women, and suffered greatly in their association.

The purport'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

Peril and pride → Friendship and humility. Divinity is revealed amid intimate childhood play.

Chapters 12–19 of Canto 10: Childhood dangers and Brahmā's amazement. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 17: The History of Kāliya

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Saubhari Ṛṣi had tried to stop him, but Garuḍa, agitated by hunger, had refused to heed the sage’s prohibitions, and in response the sage had cursed Garuḍa that if he ever came there again he would immediately die. Kāliya had heard of this, and thus he lived there without fear.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. atrain this lake
  2. praviśyaentering
  3. garuḍaḥGaruḍa
  4. yadiif
  5. matsyānthe fish
  6. saḥhe
  7. khādatieats
  8. sadyaḥimmediately
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

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.17

    In this verse: “pride”, “offense”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.17

    In this verse: “attachment”, “material”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.17

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

Could pride or attachment be clouding the way you regard a devotee?

Practice

Identify one proud judgment you hold about a devotee and set it aside before speaking today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.17's connections

Live this todayFalse Pride Endangers Spiritual LifeThis 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 10.17.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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