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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
10.51.5410.51.56

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.51.55

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

न कामयेऽन्यं तव पादसेवना-

दकिञ्चनप्रार्थ्यतमाद्वरं विभो ।

आराध्य कस्त्वां ह्यपवर्गदं हरे

वृणीत आर्यो वरमात्मबन्धनम् ॥ ५५ ॥

na kāmaye ’nyaṁ tava pāda-sevanād

akiñcana-prārthyatamād varaṁ vibho

ārādhya kas tvāṁ hy apavarga-daṁ hare

vṛṇīta āryo varam ātma-bandhanam

Translation

O all-powerful one, I desire no boon other than service to Your lotus feet, the boon most eagerly sought by those free of material desire. O Hari, what enlightened person who worships You, the giver of liberation, would choose a boon that causes his own bondage?

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.

Desire Only Service to the Lord

  1. 1

    The Lord offered Mucukunda anything he desired, but Mucukunda desired only the Lord. The purport calls this pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

  2. 2

    Service to the Lord’s lotus feet is the boon most eagerly sought by those free of material desire.

  3. 3

    Hari gives liberation. An enlightened worshiper would not choose a boon that causes further bondage.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord offered Mucukunda anything he desired, but Mucukunda desired only the Lord.

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:

The wise Mucukunda, understanding the futility of material life, asked only that he might be allowed to take shelter of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Pleased at this request, the Lord said to Mucukunda, “My devotees are never enticed by material benedictions offered to them; only nondevotees, namely yogīs and speculative philosophers, are interested in material benedictions, having mundane desires in their hearts.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.51
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. na kāmayeI do not desire
  2. anyamanother
  3. tavaYour
  4. pādaof the feet
  5. sevanātthan the service
  6. akiñcanaby those who want nothing material
  7. prārthya-tamātwhich is the favorite object of entreaty
  8. varamboon
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.51

    In this verse: “worships”, “worshiper”

  • 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

When I pray, do I seek the Lord’s service or mainly gifts from Him?

Practice

Offer one prayer today asking only for service to the Lord’s lotus feet.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDesire Only Service to the LordThis 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 10.51.55? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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