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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 50: Kṛṣṇa Establishes the City of Dvārakā
10.50.1710.50.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.50.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Jarāsandha looked at the two of Them andsince 10.50.17inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तव राम यदि श्रद्धा युध्यस्व धैर्यमुद्वह ।

हित्वा वा मच्छरैश्छिन्नं देहं स्वर्याहि मां जहि ॥ १८ ॥

tava rāma yadi śraddhā

yudhyasva dhairyam udvaha

hitvā vā mac-charaiś chinnaṁ

dehaṁ svar yāhi māṁ jahi

Translation

You, Rāma, should gather Your courage and fight with me, if You think You can do it. You may either give up Your body when it is cut to pieces by my arrows, and thus attain to heaven, or else kill me.

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.

A Challenge Conceals Doubt

  1. 1

    Jarāsandha challenges Rāma to gather His courage and fight, if He thinks He can.

  2. 2

    He presents two alternatives: Rāma may die under his arrows and attain heaven, or He may kill Jarāsandha.

  3. 3

    According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, Jarāsandha suspected that Lord Balarāma’s body was indestructible. He therefore offered Balarāma’s killing him as what might be a more practical alternative.

Key points from the purport
  • According to ācārya Śrīdhara Svāmī, Jarāsandha suspected that Lord Balarāma’s body was indestructible, and thus he offered what might be a more practical alternative, that Balarāma kill Jarāsandha.

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

Yearning and danger → Marriage and reciprocity. A wider range of divine relationships appears.

Chapters 50–59 of Canto 10: Dvārakā, Rukmiṇī and royal rescues. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 50: Kṛṣṇa Establishes the City of Dvārakā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then Kṛṣṇa twanged His bow and started to rain down a torrent of arrows upon the enemy soldiers. Soon Jarāsandha’s unfathomable army had been annihilated.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.50
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tavaYour
  2. rāmaO Balarāma
  3. yadiif
  4. śraddhāconfidence
  5. yudhyasvafight
  6. dhairyamcourage
  7. udvahatake up
  8. hitvāleaving aside
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.50

    In this verse: “give up”

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

How does the purport change your understanding of Jarāsandha’s confident challenge?

Practice

Reread the challenge alongside the purport, noticing Jarāsandha’s suspicion about Lord Balarāma’s indestructible body.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Challenge Conceals DoubtThis 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 10.50.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.