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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

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 44: The Killing of Kaṁsa

10.43.40 10.44.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.44.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.44.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

एवं चर्चितसङ्कल्पो भगवान् मधुसूदन: । आससादाथ चाणूरं मुष्टिकं रोहिणीसुत: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

evaṁ carcita-saṅkalpo

bhagavān madhusūdanaḥ

āsasādātha caṇūraṁ

muṣṭtikaṁ rohiṇī-sutaḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus addressed, Lord Kṛṣṇa made up His mind to accept the challenge. He paired off with Cāṇūra, and Lord Balarāma with Muṣṭika.

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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.

Lord Kṛṣṇa Accepts the Challenge

1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes Lord Kṛṣṇa making up His mind to accept the challenge.
2
Lord Kṛṣṇa paired off with Cāṇūra.
3
Lord Balarāma paired off with Muṣṭika.

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 44: The Killing of Kaṁsa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Deciding to wrestle, Lord Kṛṣṇa faced off against Cāṇūra, and Lord Baladeva took on Muṣṭika. Battling arm to arm, head to head, knee to knee and chest to chest, the opponents attacked each other so fiercely that they appeared to be harming even their own bodies.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.44