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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 41: Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Enter Mathurā

10.41.35 10.41.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.41.36

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The washermansince 10.41.35inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

याताशु बालिशा मैवं प्रार्थ्यं यदि जिजीवीषा ।

बध्नन्ति घ्नन्ति लुम्पन्ति द‍ृप्तं राजकुलानि वै ॥ ३६ ॥

yātāśu bāliśā maivaṁ

prārthyaṁ yadi jijīvīṣā

badhnanti ghnanti lumpanti

dṛptaṁ rāja-kulāni vai

Translation

Fools, get out of here quickly! Don’t beg like this if You want to stay alive. When someone is too bold, the King’s men arrest him and kill him and take all his property.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Threats Replace an Opportunity to Serve

1
The washerman ordered the boys to leave quickly and called Them fools.
2
He threatened Their lives if They continued asking in this way.
3
He described the King’s men as arresting, killing and taking the property of those considered too bold. His reply relied on threats rather than service.

How it feels

Anxiety and conflict → Liberation and joy. Heroic victory is complicated by separation from Vraja.

Chapters 39–45 of Canto 10: Mathurā, Kaṁsa and reunion with parents. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 41: Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Enter Mathurā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Akrūra unhappily bid the Lord goodbye, went to King Kaṁsa to inform him that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma had come, and went home. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma took the cowherd boys with Them to see the splendorous city.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.41

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yātago
āśuquickly
bāliśaḥfools
mādo not
evamlike this
prārthyambeg
yadiif
jijīviṣāYou have the desire to live

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
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.41
In this verse: “king’s”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I feel challenged, do I respond with respect or try to intimidate?

Practice

In one difficult conversation today, avoid insults and threats and speak calmly.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThreats Replace an Opportunity to ServeThis 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 10.41.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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