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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 49: Akrūra’s Mission in Hastināpura
10.49.2610.49.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.49.27

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Dhṛtarāṣṭrasince 10.49.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तथापि सूनृता सौम्य हृदि न स्थीयते चले ।

पुत्रानुरागविषमे विद्युत् सौदामनी यथा ॥ २७ ॥

tathāpi sūnṛtā saumya

hṛdi na sthīyate cale

putrānurāga-viṣame

vidyut saudāmanī yathā

Translation

Even so, gentle Akrūra, because my unsteady heart is prejudiced by affection for my sons, these pleasing words of yours cannot remain fixed there, just as lightning cannot remain fixed in a cloud.

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.

Attachment Keeps Wisdom From Taking Root

  1. 1

    Dhṛtarāṣṭra admits that his heart is unsteady. His affection for his sons makes him prejudiced.

  2. 2

    Although Akrūra's words are pleasing, they cannot remain fixed in that unsettled heart.

  3. 3

    Dhṛtarāṣṭra compares this to lightning that cannot remain fixed in a cloud. He recognizes that hearing good counsel has not made it steady within him.

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:

But because the tight knot of affection for my sons has made me biased toward them, your statements cannot become fixed within my mind. No one can transgress the arrangement of the Supreme Lord; His purpose for descending into the Yadu dynasty will inevitably be fulfilled.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.49
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathā apinevertheless
  2. sūnṛtāpleasing words
  3. saumyaO gentle one
  4. hṛdiin my heart
  5. na sthīyatedo not remain steady
  6. calewhich is unsteady
  7. putrafor my sons
  8. anurāgaby affection
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.49

    In this verse: “hearing”

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

What attachment makes it difficult for me to hold firmly to good advice?

Practice

Write down one piece of good advice you tend to forget, and name the attachment that makes it difficult to follow.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAttachment Keeps Wisdom From Taking RootThis 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 10.49.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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