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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
10.51.4810.51.50

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.51.49

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Mucukundasince 10.51.45inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

प्रमत्तमुच्चैरितिकृत्यचिन्तया

प्रवृद्धलोभं विषयेषु लालसम् ।

त्वमप्रमत्त: सहसाभिपद्यसे

क्षुल्ल‍ेलिहानोऽहिरिवाखुमन्तक: ॥ ४९ ॥

pramattam uccair itikṛtya-cintayā

pravṛddha-lobhaṁ viṣayeṣu lālasam

tvam apramattaḥ sahasābhipadyase

kṣul-lelihāno ’hir ivākhum antakaḥ

Translation

A man obsessed with thoughts of what he thinks needs to be done, intensely greedy, and delighting in sense enjoyment is suddenly confronted by You, who are ever alert. Like a hungry snake licking its fangs before a mouse, You appear before him as death.

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 Lord Remains Alert Amid Our Delusion

  1. 1

    Those trying to exploit the material world are deluded and maddened by desire. They become absorbed in plans, greed and sense enjoyment.

  2. 2

    The Lord remains alert, sober and unbewildered. He suddenly confronts the absorbed materialist as death, like a hungry snake approaching a mouse.

  3. 3

    We may deny God or His laws, but the Lord does not fail to reward or punish us according to the quality of our activities.

Key points from the purport
  • We may note here the contrast between the words pramattam and apramattaḥ.
  • But the Lord is apramatta: “alert, sober, and unbewildered.”
  • In our madness we may deny God or His laws, but the Lord is sober and will not fail to reward or punish us according to the quality of our activities.

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:

O Lord, O vanquisher of all enemies, it is my great fortune that I now have the vision of Your beautiful form.” Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa then told Mucukunda who He was and offered him a boon.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.51
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pramattamthoroughly deluded
  2. uccaiḥextensive
  3. iti-kṛtyaof what needs to be done
  4. cintayāwith thought
  5. pravṛddhaincreased fully
  6. lobhamwhose greed
  7. viṣayeṣufor sense objects
  8. lālasamhankering
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.51

    In this verse: “death”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.51

    In this verse: “material”

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 would remembering the Lord’s watchfulness change one choice I am making today?

Practice

Before one action today, pause to examine whether it is driven by greed or disregard for God’s laws.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Remains Alert Amid Our DelusionThis 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 10.51.49? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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