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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
10.52.1910.52.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.52.20

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 10.52.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ब्रह्मन् कृष्णकथा: पुण्या माध्वीर्लोकमलापहा: ।

को नु तृप्येत श‍ृण्वान: श्रुतज्ञो नित्यनूतना: ॥ २० ॥

brahman kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ puṇyā

mādhvīr loka-malāpahāḥ

ko nu tṛpyeta śṛṇvānaḥ

śruta-jño nitya-nūtanāḥ

Translation

What experienced listener, O brāhmaṇa, could ever grow satiated while listening to the pious, charming and ever-fresh topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which cleanse away the world’s contamination?

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.

Hearing Kṛṣṇa’s Ever-Fresh Topics

  1. 1

    Topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa are pious and charming.

  2. 2

    Hearing these topics cleanses away the world’s contamination.

  3. 3

    These topics are ever-fresh. An experienced listener does not grow satiated with hearing them.

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:

Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa, acting as if fearful, left Their riches aside and ran far away. Because Jarāsandha could not appreciate Their true power, he ran after Them.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.52
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. brahmanO brāhmaṇa
  2. kṛṣṇa-kathāḥtopics of Kṛṣṇa
  3. puṇyāḥpious
  4. mādhvīḥsweet
  5. lokaof the world
  6. malathe contamination
  7. apahāḥwhich remove
  8. kaḥwho
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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.52

    In this verse: “cleanse”, “contamination”, “cleanses”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.52

    In this verse: “hearing”

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

What fresh appreciation arises when I hear about Kṛṣṇa again?

Practice

Spend five minutes hearing or reading these topics of Kṛṣṇa as devotional service, noticing one detail with fresh attention.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHearing Kṛṣṇa’s Ever-Fresh TopicsThis 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 10.52.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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