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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 34: Nanda Mahārāja Saved and Śaṅkhacūḍa Slain
10.34.1610.34.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.34.17

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The serpentsince 10.34.12-13inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ब्रह्मदण्डाद्विमुक्तोऽहं सद्यस्तेऽच्युत दर्शनात् ।

यन्नाम गृह्णन्नखिलान् श्रोतृनात्मानमेव च ।

सद्य: पुनाति किं भूयस्तस्य स्पृष्ट: पदा हि ते ॥ १७ ॥

brahma-daṇḍād vimukto ’haṁ

sadyas te ’cyuta darśanāt

yan-nāma gṛhṇann akhilān

śrotṝn ātmānam eva ca

sadyaḥ punāti kiṁ bhūyas

tasya spṛṣṭaḥ padā hi te

Translation

O infallible one, I was immediately freed from the brāhmaṇas’ punishment simply by seeing You. Anyone who chants Your name purifies all who hear his chanting, as well as himself. How much more beneficial, then, is the touch of Your lotus feet?

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.

The Lord’s Name Purifies Those Who Hear

  1. 1

    The speaker says that seeing the infallible Lord immediately freed him from the brāhmaṇas’ punishment.

  2. 2

    Anyone who chants the Lord’s name purifies both himself and all who hear his chanting.

  3. 3

    He therefore praises the still greater benefit of being touched by the Lord’s lotus feet.

How it feels

Attachment → Impending loss. The approach of departure gives pastoral love a poignant edge.

Chapters 34–38 of Canto 10: Further Vraja events and Akrūra's arrival. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 34: Nanda Mahārāja Saved and Śaṅkhacūḍa Slain

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then he offered his homage at the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and, on the Lord’s order, returned to his own abode. Later, during the Dola-pūrṇimā festival, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva enjoyed pastimes in the forest with the young women of Vraja.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.34
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. brahmaof the brāhmaṇas
  2. daṇḍātfrom the punishment
  3. vimuktaḥfreed
  4. ahamI am
  5. sadyaḥimmediately
  6. teYou
  7. acyutaO infallible Lord
  8. darśanātby seeing
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.34

    In this verse: “chants”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.34

    In this verse: “purifies”

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 this verse deepen my appreciation for chanting and hearing the Lord’s name?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name aloud and listening attentively.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Name Purifies Those Who HearThis 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 10.34.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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