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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.49.22

Who is speaking and story frame

अधर्मोपचितं वित्तं हरन्त्यन्येऽल्पमेधस: ।

सम्भोजनीयापदेशैर्जलानीव जलौकस: ॥ २२ ॥

adharmopacitaṁ vittaṁ

haranty anye ’lpa-medhasaḥ

sambhojanīyāpadeśair

jalānīva jalaukasaḥ

Translation

In the guise of dear dependents, strangers steal the sinfully acquired wealth of a foolish man, just as the offspring of a fish drink up the water that sustains the fish.

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.

Wealth Cannot Provide Lasting Security

  1. 1

    Ordinary people feel they cannot live without wealth. Yet their possession of it is circumstantial and temporary.

  2. 2

    The verse describes dear dependents taking a foolish person’s sinfully acquired wealth. Their apparent closeness does not secure his possessions.

  3. 3

    Wealth sustains an ordinary person as water sustains a fish. The comparison shows dependents consuming that wealth as a fish’s offspring drink up its sustaining water.

Key points from the purport
  • Ordinary people feel they cannot live without their wealth, although their possession of it is circumstantial and temporary.
  • Just as wealth gives life to an ordinary man, water gives life to a fish.
  • One’s dear dependents, however, steal one’s wealth, just as a fish’s offspring drink up the water sustaining the fish.

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

Heartache → Unbroken remembrance. Love endures and deepens despite visible absence.

Chapters 46–49 of Canto 10: Uddhava, the gopīs and the Song of the Bee. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 49: Akrūra’s Mission in Hastināpura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

No one can transgress the arrangement of the Supreme Lord; His purpose for descending into the Yadu dynasty will inevitably be fulfilled.” Knowing now the mentality of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Akrūra took permission from his dear relatives and friends and returned to Mathurā, where he related everything to Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.49
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. adharmaby irreligious means
  2. upacitamgathered
  3. vittamwealth
  4. harantisteal
  5. anyeother persons
  6. alpa-medhasaḥof one who is unintelligent
  7. sambhojanīyaas requiring support
  8. apadeśaiḥby the false designations
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.49

    In this verse: “wealth”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.49

    In this verse: “sinfully”

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

Does my desire to support dependents tempt me to acquire wealth by improper means?

Practice

Review one way you acquire money and check that supporting others is not becoming an excuse for wrongdoing.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWealth Cannot Provide Lasting SecurityThis 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 10.49.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.