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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
10.17.110.17.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.17.2-3

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.17.2-3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

उपहार्यै: सर्पजनैर्मासि मासीह यो बलि: ।

वानस्पत्यो महाबाहो नागानां प्राङ्‍‍‍‍‍‍निरूपित: ॥ २ ॥

स्वं स्वं भागं प्रयच्छन्ति नागा: पर्वणि पर्वणि ।

गोपीथायात्मन: सर्वे सुपर्णाय महात्मने ॥ ३ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

upahāryaiḥ sarpa-janair

māsi māsīha yo baliḥ

vānaspatyo mahā-bāho

nāgānāṁ prāṅ-nirūpitaḥ

svaṁ svaṁ bhāgaṁ prayacchanti

nāgāḥ parvaṇi parvaṇi

gopīthāyātmanaḥ sarve

suparṇāya mahātmane

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: To avoid being eaten by Garuḍa, the serpents had previously made an arrangement with him whereby they would each make a monthly offering of tribute at the base of a tree. Thus every month on schedule, O mighty-armed King Parīkṣit, each serpent would duly make his offering to that powerful carrier of Viṣṇu as a purchase of protection.

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.

The Serpents Purchased Protection

  1. 1

    The serpents made monthly offerings at the base of a tree to purchase protection from Garuḍa, the powerful carrier of Viṣṇu.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī gives an alternate explanation: human beings offered tribute to the serpents, who passed a portion to Garuḍa.

  3. 3

    The translation follows Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī and Śrīla Prabhupāda. All the ācāryas agree that the serpents purchased protection from Garuḍa.

Key points from the purport
  • According to this reading, a group of human beings had fallen under the control of the serpents and were prone to be eaten by them.
  • To avoid this, the human beings would make a monthly offering to the serpents, who in turn would offer a portion of that offering to Garuḍa so that he would not eat them.
  • In any case, all the ācāryas agree that the serpents purchased protection from Garuḍa.

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:

When King Parīkṣit inquired about Kāliya’s leaving Ramaṇaka Island, the abode of the serpents, and about why Garuḍa acted inimically toward him, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied as follows: All the serpents on the island were afraid of being devoured by Garuḍa. To placate him, every month they would leave various offerings for him at the foot of a banyan tree.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. upahāryaiḥwho were qualified to make offerings
  3. sarpa-janaiḥby the serpent race
  4. māsi māsieach month
  5. ihahere (in Nāgālaya)
  6. yaḥwhich
  7. baliḥoffering of tribute
  8. vānaspatyaḥat the base of a tree
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

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.17

    In this verse: “protection”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.17

    In this verse: “king”

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 does noticing the ācāryas’ shared conclusion help you read their different explanations?

Practice

Reread the two explanations and write their shared conclusion in one sentence.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Serpents Purchased ProtectionThis 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 10.17.2-3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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