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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 50: Kṛṣṇa Establishes the City of Dvārakā
10.50.4710.50.49

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.50.48

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.50.20inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तस्मादद्य विधास्यामो दुर्गं द्विपददुर्गमम् ।

तत्र ज्ञातीन् समाधाय यवनं घातयामहे ॥ ४८ ॥

tasmād adya vidhāsyāmo

durgaṁ dvipada-durgamam

tatra jñātīn samādhāya

yavanaṁ ghātayāmahe

Translation

“Therefore We will immediately construct a fortress that no human force can penetrate. Let Us settle our family members there and then kill the barbarian king.”

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.

Protect the Family Before Confronting the Enemy

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa proposed immediately building a fortress that no human force could penetrate.

  2. 2

    He planned to settle Their family members safely within that fortress.

  3. 3

    Only after securing Their relatives would They kill the barbarian king.

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:

Therefore the Lord constructed a wonderful city within the sea as a safe haven for the Yādavas; then He brought them all there by His mystic power. This city was fully populated with members of all four social orders, and within it no one felt the pangs of thirst and hunger.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.50
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasmāttherefore
  2. adyatoday
  3. vidhāsyāmaḥWe will construct
  4. durgama fortress
  5. dvipadato humans
  6. durgamaminsurmountable
  7. tatrathere
  8. jñātīnOur family members
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.50

    In this verse: “king”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.50

    In this verse: “safely”

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 can I learn from the order of Kṛṣṇa’s plan: first protection, then confrontation?

Practice

Before addressing a difficult situation today, take one concrete step to safeguard those affected.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayProtect the Family Before Confronting the EnemyThis 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 10.50.48? Get an answer from the verses themselves.