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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

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 49: Akrūra’s Mission in Hastināpura

10.49.22 10.49.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.49.23

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Akrūrasince 10.49.17inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

पुष्णाति यानधर्मेण स्वबुद्ध्या तमपण्डितम् ।

तेऽकृतार्थं प्रहिण्वन्ति प्राणा राय: सुतादय: ॥ २३ ॥

puṣṇāti yān adharmeṇa

sva-buddhyā tam apaṇḍitam

te ’kṛtārthaṁ prahiṇvanti

prāṇā rāyaḥ sutādayaḥ

Translation

A fool indulges in sin to maintain his life, wealth and children and other relatives, for he thinks, “These things are mine.” In the end, however, these very things all abandon him, leaving him frustrated.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Possessions Cannot Give Lasting Security

1
Thinking “These things are mine,” a foolish person commits sins to maintain life, wealth and relatives. In the end, these very things abandon him.
2
Akrūra gives frank advice to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The purport notes how much Dhṛtarāṣṭra suffered for not accepting it.
3
Even when one tenaciously clings to property, everything is eventually lost. The misguided soul is swept away by the wheel of birth and death.

Key points from the purport

In these verses, Akrūra is giving rather frank advice to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
Those who know the story of the Mahābhārata will realize how relevant and prophetic these instructions are, and how much Dhṛtarāṣṭra suffered for not accepting them.
Although one tenaciously clings to his property, in the end all is lost, and the blundering soul is swept away by the wheel of birth and death.

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

Chapter 49: Akrūra’s Mission in Hastināpura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

A living being takes his birth all alone, and alone he gives up his life. Alone he enjoys the fruits of his piety and sin.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.49

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

puṣṇātinourishes
yānwhich things
adharmeṇaby sinful activity
sva-buddhyāthinking them to be his own
tamhim
apaṇḍitamuneducated
tethey
akṛta-arthamhis purposes frustrated

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”
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.49
In this verse: “children”
Abhaya · Fearlessness
Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.49
In this verse: “death”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Does my sense of “mine” ever lead me to excuse wrongdoing?

Practice

Examine one decision involving money or family today, and choose an honest course rather than one driven by possessiveness.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra leaves homeSB 1.13 · Dhṛtarāṣṭra leaves homeNo one in the material world can prevent the approach of time and the decline of the body. Understanding this calls one away from bodily attachment toward spiritual realization.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.49's connections

Live this todayPossessions Cannot Give 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 10.49.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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