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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 29: Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs Meet for the Rāsa Dance
10.29.2510.29.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.29.26

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.29.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अस्वर्ग्यमयशस्यं च फल्गु कृच्छ्रं भयावहम् ।

जुगुप्सितं च सर्वत्र ह्यौपपत्यं कुलस्त्रिय: ॥ २६ ॥

asvargyam ayaśasyaṁ ca

phalgu kṛcchraṁ bhayāvaham

jugupsitaṁ ca sarvatra

hy aupapatyaṁ kula-striyaḥ

Translation

For a woman from a respectable family, petty adulterous affairs are always condemned. They bar her from heaven, ruin her reputation and bring her difficulty and fear.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Petty Affairs Bring Fear and Difficulty

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa condemns petty adulterous affairs for a woman from a respectable family.

  2. 2

    He says such affairs bar her from heaven and ruin her reputation.

  3. 3

    He also points to their painful consequences: difficulty and fear.

How it feels

Separation → Transcendental intimacy. The peak of longing reveals the intensity of selfless love.

Chapters 29–33 of Canto 10: The gopīs' yearning, reunion and rasa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 29: Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs Meet for the Rāsa Dance

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

For a respectable woman to consort with a paramour is totally contemptible and sure to obstruct her progress to heaven. Moreover, one develops pure love for Me not by physical proximity but by hearing topics connected with Me, by viewing My Deity form in the temple, by meditating upon Me and by faithfully chanting My glories.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.29
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. asvargyamnot leading to heaven
  2. ayaśasyamunfavorable for a good reputation
  3. caand
  4. phalguinsignificant
  5. kṛcchramdifficult
  6. bhaya-āvahamcreating fear
  7. jugupsitamcontemptible
  8. caand
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.29

    In this verse: “fear”

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 remembering the consequences of unfaithfulness help me value faithful conduct?

Practice

Identify one concrete way to honor faithfulness in your relationships today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPetty Affairs Bring Fear and DifficultyThis 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 10.29.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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