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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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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
10.50.3010.50.32-33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.50.31

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.50.20inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बध्यमानं हतारातिं पाशैर्वारुणमानुषै: ।

वारयामास गोविन्दस्तेन कार्यचिकीर्षया ॥ ३१ ॥

badhyamānaṁ hatārātiṁ

pāśair vāruṇa-mānuṣaiḥ

vārayām āsa govindas

tena kārya-cikīrṣayā

Translation

With the divine noose of Varuṇa and other, mortal ropes, Balarāma began tying up Jarāsandha, who had killed so many foes. But Lord Govinda still had a purpose to fulfill through Jarāsandha, and thus He asked Balarāma to stop.

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.

Govinda Has a Further Purpose

  1. 1

    Balarāma began binding Jarāsandha with the divine noose of Varuṇa and ordinary ropes.

  2. 2

    Lord Govinda asked Balarāma to stop because He still had a purpose to fulfill through Jarāsandha.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that hatārātim can mean either one who has killed his enemies or one through whom his enemies would be killed.

Key points from the purport
  • The word hatārātim means “who has killed his enemies,” or “through whom his enemies would be killed.”
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī has provided this thoughtful note.

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 Lord Baladeva arrested Jarāsandha and was about to bind him up with ropes when Śrī Kṛṣṇa had Baladeva release the King. Lord Kṛṣṇa reasoned that Jarāsandha would assemble another army and return again to fight; this would facilitate Kṛṣṇa’s goal of removing the earth’s burden.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.50
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. badhyamānamin the process of being tied up
  2. hatawho had killed
  3. arātimhis enemies
  4. pāśaiḥwith ropes
  5. vāruṇathose of the demigod Varuna
  6. mānuṣaiḥand those of ordinary humans
  7. vārayām āsachecked Him
  8. govindaḥLord Kṛṣṇa
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

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 does Govinda’s intervention reveal about the purpose behind His actions?

Practice

Reread Govinda’s reason for stopping Balarāma, and reflect on His purposeful action.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayGovinda Has a Further PurposeThis 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 10.50.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.