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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 52: Rukmiṇī’s Message to Lord Kṛṣṇa
10.52.110.52.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.52.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.52.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

संवीक्ष्य क्षुल्ल‍कान् मर्त्यान् पशून्वीरुद्वनस्पतीन् ।

मत्वा कलियुगं प्राप्तं जगाम दिशमुत्तराम् ॥ २ ॥

saṁvīkṣya kṣullakān martyān

paśūn vīrud-vanaspatīn

matvā kali-yugaṁ prāptaṁ

jagāma diśam uttarām

Translation

Seeing that the size of all the human beings, animals, trees and plants was severely reduced, and thus realizing that the Age of Kali was at hand, Mucukunda left for the north.

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.

Choose Conditions That Support Spiritual Advancement

  1. 1

    Mucukunda saw the greatly reduced size of human beings, animals, trees and plants. He understood that the Age of Kali was at hand.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that smallness, poverty, wickedness and distress are among the meanings of kṣullaka. These describe the diminished conditions of life in this age.

  3. 3

    In Vedic culture, going north indicates leaving ordinary comforts for the Himālayan Mountains. Their quiet hermitages are suitable for austerity and meditation aimed at spiritual advancement.

Key points from the purport
  • These are the symptoms of the Age of Kali, and all these qualities are said here to apply to men, animals, plants and trees in this age.
  • By traveling north in India, one comes to the world’s highest mountains, the Himālayan range.
  • Thus in Vedic culture “going to the north” indicates renouncing the comforts of ordinary society and going to the Himālayan Mountains to practice serious austerities for spiritual advancement.

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 52: Rukmiṇī’s Message to Lord Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The King then left the cave and saw that humans, animals, trees and plants were all smaller than when he had fallen asleep. From this he could understand that the Age of Kali was at hand.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.52
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saṁvīkṣyanoticing
  2. kṣullakāntiny
  3. martyānthe human beings
  4. paśūnanimals
  5. vīrutplants
  6. vanaspatīnand trees
  7. matvāconsidering
  8. kali-yugamthe Age of Kali
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.52

    In this verse: “distress”

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

Which ordinary comfort most often distracts me from spiritual practice?

Practice

Set aside one optional comfort today and spend five minutes in a quiet place for spiritual reflection.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayChoose Conditions That Support Spiritual AdvancementThis 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 10.52.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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