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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 4: The Atrocities of King Kaṁsa
10.4.3510.4.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.4.36

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.4.28inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

किं क्षेमशूरैर्विबुधैरसंयुगविकत्थनै: ।

रहोजुषा किं हरिणा शम्भुना वा वनौकसा ।

किमिन्द्रेणाल्पवीर्येण ब्रह्मणा वा तपस्यता ॥ ३६ ॥

kiṁ kṣema-śūrair vibudhair

asaṁyuga-vikatthanaiḥ

raho-juṣā kiṁ hariṇā

śambhunā vā vanaukasā

kim indreṇālpa-vīryeṇa

brahmaṇā vā tapasyatā

Translation

The demigods boast uselessly while away from the battlefield. Only where there is no fighting can they show their prowess. Therefore, from such demigods we have nothing to fear. As for Lord Viṣṇu, He is in seclusion in the core of the hearts of the yogīs. As for Lord Śiva, he has gone to the forest. And as for Lord Brahmā, he is always engaged in austerities and meditation. The other demigods, headed by Indra, are devoid of prowess. Therefore you have nothing to fear.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Ministers Dismiss Those They Oppose

  1. 1

    Kaṁsa’s ministers claimed that the demigods boasted only away from the battlefield and had fled in fear of him.

  2. 2

    They portrayed Lord Viṣṇu’s presence in the hearts of yogīs, Lord Śiva’s forest dwelling, and Lord Brahmā’s austerities as reasons not to fear them.

  3. 3

    Their conclusion was that Kaṁsa should be free from fear and prepare to fight. These are the ministers’ claims, not a judgment that Lord Viṣṇu is powerless.

Key points from the purport
  • Kaṁsa’s ministers told Kaṁsa that all the exalted demigods had fled in fear of him.
  • One had gone to the forest, one to the core of the heart, and one to engage in tapasya.

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:

The brāhmaṇas, the cows, the Vedas, austerity, truthfulness, control of the senses and mind, faithfulness and mercy are among the different parts of the body of Viṣṇu, who is the origin of all the demigods, including Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. Therefore, the ministers advised, the demigods, the saintly persons, the cows and the brāhmaṇas should be systematically persecuted.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kimwhat is there to fear
  2. kṣemain a place where there is a scarcity of the ability to fight
  3. śūraiḥby the demigods
  4. vibudhaiḥby such powerful persons
  5. asaṁyuga-vikatthanaiḥby boasting and talking uselessly, away from the fighting
  6. rahaḥ-juṣāwho is living in a solitary place within the core of the heart
  7. kim hariṇāwhat is the fear from Lord Viṣṇu
  8. śambhunā(and what is the fear) from Lord Śiva
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.4

    In this verse: “fear”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.4

    In this verse: “free from”

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

Am I too ready to accept advice that flatters my strength and dismisses others?

Practice

Examine one piece of reassuring advice today: does it encourage careful judgment or simply dismiss others?

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMinisters Dismiss Those They OpposeThis 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 10.4.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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