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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 44: The Killing of Kaṁsa
10.44.4210.44.44

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.44.43

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Kaṁsasince 10.44.32inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तेषां स्त्रियो महाराज सुहृन्मरणदु:खिता: । तत्राभीयुर्विनिघ्नन्त्य: शीर्षाण्यश्रुविलोचना: ॥ ४३ ॥

teṣāṁ striyo mahā-rāja

suhṛn-maraṇa-duḥkhitāḥ

tatrābhīyur vinighnantyaḥ

śīrṣāṇy aśru-vilocanāḥ

Translation

My dear King, the wives of Kaṁsa and his brothers, aggrieved by the death of their well-wishing husbands, came forward with tearful eyes, beating their heads.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognizing the Sorrow of Loss

  1. 1

    The wives of Kaṁsa and his brothers were deeply aggrieved by their husbands’ deaths.

  2. 2

    They mourned their husbands as their well-wishers. The verse brings their personal loss into view.

  3. 3

    They came forward with tearful eyes, beating their heads in grief.

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

Further reading

Chapter 44: The Killing of Kaṁsa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Kaṁsa’s eight brothers then attacked Kṛṣṇa, but Balarāma easily killed each of them with His club, just as a lion kills defenseless animals. Kettledrums resounded in the sky as the joyful demigods rained down flowers and chanted the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.44
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. teṣāmof them (Kaṁsa and his brothers)
  2. striyaḥthe wives
  3. mahārājaO King (Parīkṣit)
  4. suhṛtof their well-wishers (their husbands)
  5. maraṇabecause of the death
  6. duḥkhitāḥsorrowful
  7. tatrathat place
  8. abhīyuḥapproached
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.44

    In this verse: “death”, “deaths”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.44

    In this verse: “king”

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

How can I be more sensitive to the sorrow of someone who has lost a loved one?

Practice

Today, gently ask someone who is grieving how they are doing, and listen without interrupting.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRecognizing the Sorrow of LossThis 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 10.44.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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