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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 4: The Atrocities of King Kaṁsa
10.4.2110.4.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.4.22

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.4.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यावद्धतोऽस्मि हन्तास्मीत्यात्मानं मन्यतेऽस्वद‍ृक् ।

तावत्तदभिमान्यज्ञो बाध्यबाधकतामियात् ॥ २२ ॥

yāvad dhato ’smi hantāsmī-

ty ātmānaṁ manyate ’sva-dṛk

tāvat tad-abhimāny ajño

bādhya-bādhakatām iyāt

Translation

In the bodily conception of life, one remains in darkness, without self-realization, thinking, “I am being killed” or “I have killed my enemies.” As long as a foolish person thus considers the self to be the killer or the killed, he continues to be responsible for material obligations, and consequently he suffers the reactions of happiness and distress.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bodily Identification Keeps Us in Darkness

  1. 1

    In the bodily conception of life, one lacks self-realization and thinks of oneself as the killer or the killed. This ignorance binds one to material obligations and reactions.

  2. 2

    By the Lord’s grace, Kaṁsa felt sincere regret for persecuting Devakī and Vasudeva. He spoke of freedom from ignorance and bodily identification.

  3. 3

    Kaṁsa appealed to the truth that one free from false ego and entangled intelligence is not bound by actions. On this basis, he asked them to excuse his past activities.

Key points from the purport
  • By the grace of the Lord, Kaṁsa felt sincere regret for having unnecessarily persecuted such Vaiṣṇavas as Devakī and Vasudeva, and thus he came to the transcendental stage of knowledge.
  • As long as I thought that I would be killed by your son, I was in ignorance, but now I am free from this ignorance, which was due to a bodily conception of life.”
  • According to this axiomatic truth, Kaṁsa pleaded that he was not responsible for having killed the sons of Devakī and Vasudeva.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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 10.4.22 quotesBG 18.17

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.17): “One who is not motivated by false ego, whose intelligence is not entangled, though he kills men in this world, is not the slayer.

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

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:

Falling at the feet of Devakī and Vasudeva, he begged their pardon and tried to convince them that because the events that had taken place were destined to happen, they should not be unhappy for his having killed so many of their children. Devakī and Vasudeva, being naturally very pious, immediately excused Kaṁsa for his atrocities, and Kaṁsa, after seeing that his sister and brother-in-law were happy, returned to his home.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yāvatas long as
  2. hataḥ asmiI am now being killed (by others)
  3. hantā asmiI am the killer (of others)
  4. itithus
  5. ātmānamown self
  6. manyatehe considers
  7. a-sva-dṛkone who has not seen himself (because of the darkness of the bodily conception of life)
  8. tāvatfor that long
3

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.4

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.4

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.4

    In this verse: “grace”

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

When do I identify myself only with my body and what happens to it?

Practice

Take one quiet minute today to reflect on the difference between bodily identification and self-realization.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBodily Identification Keeps Us in DarknessThis 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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