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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 20: The Rainy Season and Autumn in Vṛndāvana

10.20.33 10.20.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.20.34

Mukti· Liberation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.20.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

व्योम्नोऽब्भ्रं भूतशाबल्यं भुव: पङ्कमपां मलम् ।

शरज्जहाराश्रमिणां कृष्णे भक्तिर्यथाशुभम् ॥ ३४ ॥

vyomno ’bbhraṁ bhūta-śābalyaṁ

bhuvaḥ paṅkam apāṁ malam

śaraj jahārāśramiṇāṁ

kṛṣṇe bhaktir yathāśubham

Translation

Autumn cleared the sky of clouds, let the animals get out of their crowded living conditions, cleaned the earth of its covering of mud, and purified the water of contamination, in the same way that loving service rendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa frees the members of the four spiritual orders from their respective troubles.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Loving Service Relieves Every Spiritual Order

1
The four spiritual orders are brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Each has prescribed duties and its own difficulties.
2
As loving service to Kṛṣṇa advances, troublesome duties give way to higher spiritual responsibilities. These spiritual responsibilities are the real goal for oneself and one’s family.
3
Attachment to the impersonal feature of the Lord makes advancement painful. Preaching Kṛṣṇa’s glories brings beautiful spiritual realizations and sanctifies renounced life.

Key points from the purport

Every human being must perform the prescribed duties corresponding to one of the four spiritual orders of life.
A brahmacārī must perform many menial duties during his student life, but as he becomes advanced in loving service to Kṛṣṇa, his superiors recognize his spiritual status and elevate him to higher duties.
Those in the vānaprastha, or retired, order of life also perform many duties, and these can also be replaced by ecstatic loving service to Kṛṣṇa.

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

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 10.20.34 quotesBG 12.5

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (12.5), kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām: “For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Lord, advancement is exceedingly painful.”

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

Attraction and threat → Joy and trust. The pastoral world becomes the setting for protection and love.

Chapters 20–28 of Canto 10: Forest seasons, flute and Govardhana. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 20: The Rainy Season and Autumn in Vṛndāvana

Summary of this chapter:

To enhance the description of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes in this chapter the beauty of Vṛndāvana during autumn and the rainy season. In the course of his presentation he gives various charming instructions in metaphorical terms.

Back to this verse in chapter 10.20

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

vyomnaḥin the sky
ap-bhramthe clouds
bhūtaof the animals
śābalyamthe crowded condition
bhuvaḥof the earth
paṅkamthe muddy covering
apāmof the water
malamthe contamination

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 10.20
In this verse: “purified”, “contamination”
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.20
In this verse: “attachment”
Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment
Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.20
In this verse: “renounced”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could loving service to Kṛṣṇa become more central within your present responsibilities?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes among today’s duties to speak about Kṛṣṇa’s glories.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLoving Service Relieves Every Spiritual OrderThis 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.

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