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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 27: Lord Indra and Mother Surabhi Offer Prayers
10.27.410.27.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.27.5

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Indrasince 10.27.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कुतो नु तद्धेतव ईश तत्कृतालोभादयो येऽबुधलिङ्गभावा: । तथापि दण्डं भगवान् बिभर्तिधर्मस्य गुप्‍त्यै लनिग्रहाय ॥ ५ ॥

kuto nu tad-dhetava īśa tat-kṛtā

lobhādayo ye ’budha-linga-bhāvāḥ

tathāpi daṇḍaṁ bhagavān bibharti

dharmasya guptyai khala-nigrahāya

Translation

How, then, could there exist in You the symptoms of an ignorant person — such as greed, lust, anger and envy — which are produced by one’s previous involvement in material existence and which cause one to become further entangled in material existence? And yet as the Supreme Lord You impose punishment to protect religious principles and curb down the wicked.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Corrects Without Material Anger

  1. 1

    Greed, lust, anger and envy are symptoms of ignorance. Choosing to associate with material qualities strengthens those qualities and leads to further material entanglement.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not an ordinary child. His correction of Indra protected religious principles and curbed envy; it did not arise from material anger or greed.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa desires to engage all living beings in the perfect, blissful life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Indra is truly His humble servant and is beginning to remember this.

Key points from the purport
  • In the second line of this verse, we find that it is material feelings such as greed, lust, envy and anger that cause the modes of nature to manifest and that are themselves caused by the modes of nature.
  • Thus to say that one is participating in the modes of nature is to say that one is accepting particular types of bodies suitable for the particular material qualities one is involved with.
  • Therefore Kṛṣṇa’s punishing Indra was part of His mission of protecting religious principles and curbing down the envious; it was not a display of material anger or of greed for the offerings meant for Indra.

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

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

Further reading

Chapter 27: Lord Indra and Mother Surabhi Offer Prayers

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Indra stated that although Śrī Kṛṣṇa is never caught in the current of material illusion, which is born of ignorance, He nevertheless accepts a humanlike body and performs various activities to establish religious principles and chastise the wicked. By this means He crushes the false prestige of those who presume themselves great controllers.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.27
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kutaḥhow
  2. nucertainly
  3. tatof that (existence of the material body)
  4. hetavaḥthe causes
  5. īśaO Lord
  6. tat-kṛtāḥproduced by one’s connection with the material body
  7. lobha-ādayaḥgreed and so forth
  8. yewhich
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.27

    In this verse: “lust”, “material”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 10.27

    In this verse: “religious”, “principles”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.27

    In this verse: “protect”, “protected”

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

Where can I replace a desire to enjoy or control with the wish to serve Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

When greed or anger appears today, pause before acting and remember your position as Kṛṣṇa’s servant.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Corrects Without Material AngerThis 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 10.27.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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