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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb
10.2.2010.2.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.2.21

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.2.1-2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

किमद्य तस्मिन् करणीयमाशु मेयदर्थतन्त्रो न विहन्ति विक्रमम् । स्त्रिया: स्वसुर्गुरुमत्या वधोऽयंयश: श्रियं हन्त्यनुकालमायु: ॥ २१ ॥

kim adya tasmin karaṇīyam āśu me

yad artha-tantro na vihanti vikramam

striyāḥ svasur gurumatyā vadho ’yaṁ

yaśaḥ śriyaṁ hanty anukālam āyuḥ

Translation

Kaṁsa thought: What is my duty now? The Supreme Lord, who knows His purpose will not give up His prowess. Devakī is a woman, she is my sister, and moreover she is now pregnant. If I kill her, my reputation, opulence and duration of life will certainly be vanquished.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Strength Does Not Mean Harming the Helpless

  1. 1

    According to Vedic principles, a woman, a brāhmaṇa, an old man, a child and a cow should never be killed. Even Kaṁsa, an enemy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, knew these principles.

  2. 2

    Kaṁsa understood that the soul passes from one body to another and suffers in the next life according to its actions in this life. He feared the consequences of killing Devakī.

  3. 3

    Killing his pregnant sister, who was under his shelter, would not demonstrate heroism. A kṣatriya should fight an enemy face to face with proper weapons, so Kaṁsa refrained from killing her.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore he was afraid of killing Devakī, since she was a woman, she was his sister, and she was pregnant.
  • Therefore, he did not want to act drastically by killing Devakī.
  • Kaṁsa very conscientiously deliberated upon these facts and therefore refrained from killing Devakī, although he was completely confident that his enemy had already appeared within her womb.

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 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Because Kṛṣṇa and His potency, Yoga-māyā, appeared simultaneously as brother and sister, the world is full of Vaiṣṇavas and śāktas, and there is certainly some rivalry between them. Vaiṣṇavas worship the Supreme Lord, whereas śāktas, according to their desires, worship Yoga-māyā in forms like Durgā, Bhadrakālī and Caṇḍikā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kimwhat
  2. adyanow, immediately
  3. tasminin this situation
  4. karaṇīyamis to be done
  5. āśuwithout delay
  6. memy duty
  7. yatbecause
  8. artha-tantraḥthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is always determined to protect the sādhus and kill the asādhus
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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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 10.2

    In this verse: “duty”, “principles”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.2

    In this verse: “give up”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.2

    In this verse: “child”

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

Do I use my strength to protect those under my care?

Practice

Do one practical act of protection or care today for a child, an older person or an animal.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayStrength Does Not Mean Harming the HelplessThis 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 10.2.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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