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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 45: Kṛṣṇa Rescues His Teacher’s Son
10.45.3710.45.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.45.38

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Balarāmasince 10.45.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तथेत्यथारुह्य महारथौ रथं

प्रभासमासाद्य दुरन्तविक्रमौ ।

वेलामुपव्रज्य निषीदतु: क्षणं

सिन्धुर्विदित्वार्हणमाहरत्तयो: ॥ ३८ ॥

tethety athāruhya mahā-rathau rathaṁ

prabhāsam āsādya duranta-vikramau

velām upavrajya niṣīdatuḥ kṣanaṁ

sindhur viditvārhanam āharat tayoḥ

Translation

“So be it,” replied those two great chariot warriors of limitless might, and They at once mounted Their chariot and set off for Prabhāsa. When They reached that place, They walked up to the shore and sat down. In a moment the deity of the ocean, recognizing Them to be the Supreme Lords, approached Them with offerings of tribute.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

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.

Nature’s Governor Recognizes the Supreme Lords

  1. 1

    The two Lords of limitless might accepted the request and immediately departed for Prabhāsa.

  2. 2

    The deity of the ocean recognized Them as the Supreme Lords and approached with tribute. Here “the ocean” means the person who governs that aspect of physical nature.

  3. 3

    The purport compares this usage to saying that a country votes when its representative votes. Such language should not be dismissed as primitive mythology.

Key points from the purport
  • Western scholars sometimes think that references in ancient books of wisdom to the deity of the ocean, the deity of the sun and so on reveal a primitive, mythical way of thinking.
  • In the United Nations we may say, “The United States votes ‘Yes,’ the Soviet Union votes ‘No.’” We hardly mean that the physical countries or the buildings in them have voted.
  • We mean that a particular person, representing that political and geographical entity, has voted.

The purport'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

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 45: Kṛṣṇa Rescues His Teacher’s Son

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma mounted a chariot and went to Prabhāsa, where They approached the shore and were worshiped by the presiding deity of the ocean. Kṛṣṇa asked the ocean to return His spiritual master’s son, and the lord of the ocean replied that a demon dwelling within the ocean named Pāñcajana had taken the boy away.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.45
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathāso be it
  2. itisaying this
  3. athathen
  4. āruhyamounting
  5. mahā-rathauthe two great chariot warriors
  6. rathama chariot
  7. prabhāsamPrabhāsa-tīrtha
  8. āsādyareaching
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.45

    In this verse: “governs”

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

Do I try to understand the text’s meaning before judging its descriptions of nature?

Practice

Reread “the deity of the ocean,” remembering that it refers to a personal governor, not merely water.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayNature’s Governor Recognizes the Supreme LordsThis 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 10.45.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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