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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.4.1

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीशुक उवाच

बहिरन्त:पुरद्वार: सर्वा: पूर्ववदावृता: ।

ततो बालध्वनिं श्रुत्वा गृहपाला: समुत्थिता: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

bahir-antaḥ-pura-dvāraḥ

sarvāḥ pūrvavad āvṛtāḥ

tato bāla-dhvaniṁ śrutvā

gṛha-pālāḥ samutthitāḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King Parīkṣit, the doors inside and outside the house closed as before. Thereafter, the inhabitants of the house, especially the watchmen, heard the crying of the newborn child and thus awakened from their beds.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Real Protection Comes From Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Before the watchmen awakened, Kṛṣṇa had been transferred to Yaśodā’s home in Gokula. The doors had closed again, and Vasudeva was once more shackled.

  2. 2

    The watchmen knew nothing of these events. They awakened only upon hearing the crying of Yoga-māyā, the newborn child.

  3. 3

    The energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead acts under His direction, although worldly guardians think themselves the protectors. One who surrenders to Kṛṣṇa is freed from dependence on such protection.

Key points from the purport
  • Before the awakening of the watchmen and the others in the prison house, many other things happened.
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has remarked that the watchmen were just like dogs.
  • At night the dogs in the street act like watchmen.

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 4: The Atrocities of King Kaṁsa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After Vasudeva bound himself with iron shackles as before, all the doors of the prison house closed by the influence of Yoga-māyā, who then began crying as a newborn child. This crying awakened the doorkeepers, who immediately informed Kaṁsa that a child had been born to Devakī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.4
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. bahiḥ-antaḥ-pura-dvāraḥthe doors inside and outside the house
  3. sarvāḥall
  4. pūrva-vatlike before
  5. āvṛtāḥclosed
  6. tataḥthereafter
  7. bāla-dhvanimthe crying of the newborn child
  8. śrutvāhearing
  9. gṛha-pālāḥall the inhabitants of the house, especially the doormen
  10. samutthitāḥawakened
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.4

    In this verse: “child”, “yaśodā’s”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.4

    In this verse: “heard”, “hearing”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.4

    In this verse: “protectors”, “guardians”

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 do I place my trust for protection?

Practice

Take a quiet moment today to express your wish to surrender to Kṛṣṇa and depend on His protection.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReal Protection Comes From KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.4.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.