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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
10.51.2810.51.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.51.29

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

मन्ये त्वां देवदेवानां त्रयाणां पुरुषर्षभम् ।

यद् बाधसे गुहाध्वान्तं प्रदीप: प्रभया यथा ॥ २९ ॥

manye tvāṁ deva-devānāṁ

trayāṇāṁ puruṣarṣabham

yad bādhase guhā-dhvāntaṁ

pradīpaḥ prabhayā yathā

Translation

I think You are the Supreme Personality among the three chief gods, since You drive away the darkness of this cave as a lamp dispels darkness with its light.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Illuminates the Cave and Heart

  1. 1

    Mucukunda recognizes the Lord as the Supreme Personality among the three chief gods because His light drives away the cave’s darkness.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that Lord Kṛṣṇa also dispelled the darkness in Mucukunda’s heart.

  3. 3

    The heart is sometimes called a cavern in Sanskrit: a deep and secret place.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that with His effulgence Lord Kṛṣṇa dispelled not only the darkness of the mountain cave but also the darkness in Mucukunda’s heart.
  • In Sanskrit the heart is sometimes metaphorically referred to as guha, “cavern,” a deep and secret place.

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 51: The Deliverance of Mucukunda

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Kālayavana saw that Kṛṣṇa’s brilliantly effulgent body matched Nārada’s description of the Lord, and thus the Yavana knew He was the Personality of Godhead. Seeing that the Lord carried no weapons, Kālayavana put his own weapons aside and ran toward Him from behind, wanting to fight with Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.51
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. manyeI consider
  2. tvāmYou
  3. deva-devānāmof the chief of the demigods
  4. trayāṇāmthree (Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva)
  5. puruṣaof the personalities
  6. ṛṣabhamthe greatest
  7. yatbecause
  8. bādhaseYou drive away
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

How does Kṛṣṇa’s illuminating Mucukunda’s heart deepen your understanding of His light?

Practice

Read the verse slowly, then offer a short prayer asking Kṛṣṇa to dispel the darkness in your heart.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Illuminates the Cave and HeartThis 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 10.51.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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