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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 49: Akrūra’s Mission in Hastināpura

10.49.25 10.49.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.49.26

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Dhṛtarāṣṭrasince 10.49.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच

यथा वदति कल्याणीं वाचं दानपते भवान् ।

तथानया न तृप्यामि मर्त्य: प्राप्य यथामृतम् ॥ २६ ॥

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca

yathā vadati kalyāṇīṁ

vācaṁ dāna-pate bhavān

tathānayā na tṛpyāmi

martyaḥ prāpya yathāmṛtam

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O master of charity, I can never be satiated while hearing your auspicious words. Indeed, I am like a mortal who has obtained the nectar of the gods.

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.

Receive Good Counsel Without Pride

1
Dhṛtarāṣṭra praises Akrūra's auspicious words, saying he can never hear enough of them. He compares himself to a mortal who has obtained the nectar of the gods.
2
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Dhṛtarāṣṭra was actually proud and felt he already knew everything Akrūra was saying.
3
He spoke like a saintly gentleman to maintain diplomatic gravity. His gracious words therefore concealed an unwillingness to learn.

Key points from the purport

In the opinion of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Dhṛtarāṣṭra was in fact proud and felt he already knew everything Akrūra was speaking, but to maintain diplomatic gravity he spoke as a saintly gentleman.

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:

To this Dhṛtarāṣṭra replied, “I cannot hear enough of your beneficial words, O Akrūra, which are like the sweet nectar of immortality. But because the tight knot of affection for my sons has made me biased toward them, your statements cannot become fixed within my mind.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ uvācaDhṛtarāṣṭra said
yathāas
vadatispeak
kalyāṇīmauspicious
vācamwords
dānaof charity
pateO master
bhavānyou

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
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.49
In this verse: “hearing”
Dainya · Humility
Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.49
In this verse: “proud”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I praise good advice, am I also willing to learn from it?

Practice

When someone gives useful advice today, listen without immediately thinking or saying, “I already know that.”

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 todayReceive Good Counsel Without PrideThis 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 10.49.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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