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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
10.50.5410.50.56

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.50.55

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

श्यामैकवर्णान् वरुणो हयान् शुक्लान्मनोजवान् ।

अष्टौ निधिपति: कोशान् लोकपालो निजोदयान् ॥ ५५ ॥

śyāmaika-varṇān varuṇo

hayān śuklān mano-javān

aṣṭau nidhi-patiḥ kośān

loka-pālo nijodayān

Translation

Lord Varuṇa offered horses as swift as the mind, some of which were pure dark-blue, others white. The treasurer of the demigods, Kuvera, gave his eight mystic treasures, and the rulers of various planets each presented their own opulences.

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.

The Planetary Rulers Offer Their Opulences

  1. 1

    Lord Varuṇa offered horses as swift as the mind. Some were pure dark-blue, and others were white.

  2. 2

    Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, gave his eight mystic treasures, called nidhis. These are Padma, Mahāpadma, Matsya, Kūrma, Audaka, Nīla, Mukunda and Śaṅkha.

  3. 3

    The rulers of various planets each presented their own opulences. Their offerings included the particular riches they possessed.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī comments as follows on this verse: “The master of the treasury is Kuvera, and the eight treasures are his nidhis.

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:

The various demigods, headed by Indra, each offered as tribute to Lord Kṛṣṇa the same opulences they had originally obtained from Him to establish their positions of authority. Once He saw His subjects safely settled, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa took permission from Lord Baladeva and went out of Mathurā unarmed.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.50
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śyāmadark blue
  2. ekaexclusively
  3. varṇāncolored
  4. varuṇaḥVaruṇa, ruler of the oceans
  5. hayānhorses
  6. śuklānwhite
  7. manaḥ(as the) mind
  8. javānswift
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.50

    In this verse: “rulers”

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 resource already in your care could you use in devotional service?

Practice

Choose one resource you have—time, a skill or an item—and use it in a small act of service to Kṛṣṇa today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.50's connections

Live this todayThe Planetary Rulers Offer Their OpulencesThis 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 10.50.55? Get an answer from the verses themselves.