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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 51: The Deliverance of Mucukunda
10.51.2710.51.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.51.28

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Mucukundasince 10.51.27inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

किंस्वित्तेजस्विनां तेजो भगवान् वा विभावसु: ।

सूर्य: सोमो महेन्द्रो वा लोकपालोऽपरोऽपि वा ॥ २८ ॥

kiṁ svit tejasvināṁ tejo

bhagavān vā vibhāvasuḥ

sūryaḥ somo mahendro vā

loka-pālo paro ’pi vā

Translation

Perhaps You are the potency of all potent beings. Or maybe You are the powerful god of fire, or the sun-god, the moon-god, the King of heaven or the ruling demigod of some other planet.

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.

Mucukunda Expresses His Uncertainty

  1. 1

    Mucukunda wondered whether the visitor was the potency of all potent beings.

  2. 2

    He also considered whether He might be the god of fire, the sun-god or the moon-god.

  3. 3

    He suggested the King of heaven or another ruling demigod as further possibilities. These were questions, not settled conclusions about the visitor's identity.

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 51: The Deliverance of Mucukunda

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The man stared harshly at him, igniting a fire in Kālayavana’s body and in a moment burning him to ashes. This extraordinary person was a son of Mandhātā’s named Mucukunda.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.51
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kim svitperhaps
  2. tejasvināmof all potent beings
  3. tejaḥthe original form
  4. bhagavānpowerful lord
  5. vāor else
  6. vibhāvasuḥthe god of fire
  7. sūryaḥthe sun-god
  8. somaḥthe moon-god
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 10.51

    In this verse: “king”

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 readily do you express uncertainty rather than treat a possibility as a fact?

Practice

When discussing something uncertain today, clearly distinguish your question or guess from what you know.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMucukunda Expresses His UncertaintyThis 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 10.51.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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