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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 4: The Atrocities of King Kaṁsa
10.4.710.4.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.4.8

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.4.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तां गृहीत्वा चरणयोर्जातमात्रां स्वसु: सुताम् ।

अपोथयच्छिलापृष्ठे स्वार्थोन्मूलितसौहृद: ॥ ८ ॥

tāṁ gṛhītvā caraṇayor

jāta-mātrāṁ svasuḥ sutām

apothayac chilā-pṛṣṭhe

svārthonmūlita-sauhṛdaḥ

Translation

Having uprooted all relationships with his sister because of intense selfishness, Kaṁsa, who was sitting on his knees, grasped the newborn child by the legs and tried to dash her against the surface of a stone.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Selfishness Destroys Family Affection

  1. 1

    Kaṁsa’s intense selfishness had uprooted his relationship with his sister.

  2. 2

    He seized the newborn child by the legs, showing no care for her helpless condition.

  3. 3

    Sitting on his knees, he tried to dash her against a stone. His selfishness had overcome family affection.

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:

Upon hearing this news, Kaṁsa appeared with great force in the maternity room, and in spite of Devakī’s pleas that the child be saved, the demon forcibly snatched the child from Devakī’s hands and dashed the child against a rock. Unfortunately for Kaṁsa, however, the newborn child slipped away from his hands, rose above his head and appeared as the eight-armed form of Durgā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tāmthe child
  2. gṛhītvātaking by force
  3. caraṇayoḥby the two legs
  4. jāta-mātrāmthe newborn child
  5. svasuḥof his sister
  6. sutāmthe daughter
  7. apothayatsmashed
  8. śilā-pṛṣṭheon the surface of a stone
  9. sva-artha-unmūlitauprooted because of intense selfishness
  10. sauhṛdaḥall friendship or family relationships
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “child”

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 might my own self-interest be weakening care for my family?

Practice

Put aside one small personal preference today to show care for a family member.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySelfishness Destroys Family AffectionThis 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 10.4.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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