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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.51.58

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीभगवानुवाच

सार्वभौम महाराज मतिस्ते विमलोर्जिता ।

वरै: प्रलोभितस्यापि न कामैर्विहता यत: ॥ ५८ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

sārvabhauma mahā-rāja

matis te vimalorjitā

varaiḥ pralobhitasyāpi

na kāmair vihatā yataḥ

Translation

The Supreme Lord said: O emperor, great ruler, your mind is pure and potent. Though I enticed You with benedictions, your mind was not overcome by material desires.

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.

A Pure Mind Resists Material Desire

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord praises the emperor’s mind as pure and potent.

  2. 2

    The Lord had enticed him with benedictions, giving material desires an opportunity to arise.

  3. 3

    Yet his mind was not overcome by those desires. The Lord recognizes this steadiness as a sign of purity and strength.

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:

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. My dear Mucukunda, you will have perpetual devotion for Me.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.51
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Lord said
  2. sārvabhaumaO emperor
  3. mahā-rājagreat ruler
  4. matiḥmind
  5. teYour
  6. vimalaspotless
  7. ūrjitāpotent
  8. varaiḥwith benedictions
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.51

    In this verse: “ruler”, “emperor”, “emperor’s”

  • 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 an attractive material opportunity appears, how steady does my mind remain?

Practice

When one tempting offer arises today, pause and observe whether material desire is taking over your mind.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Pure Mind Resists Material DesireThis 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 10.51.58? Get an answer from the verses themselves.