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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 52: Rukmiṇī’s Message to Lord Kṛṣṇa
10.52.4210.52.44

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.52.43

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Rukmiṇīsince 10.52.37inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यस्याङ्‍‍घ्रिपङ्कजरज:स्‍नपनं महान्तो

वाञ्छन्त्युमापतिरिवात्मतमोऽपहत्यै ।

यर्ह्यम्बुजाक्ष न लभेय भवत्प्रसादं

जह्यामसून्व्रतकृशान् शतजन्मभि: स्यात् ॥ ४३ ॥

yasyāṅghri-paṅkaja-rajaḥ-snapanaṁ mahānto

vāñchanty umā-patir ivātma-tamo-’pahatyai

yarhy ambujākṣa na labheya bhavat-prasādaṁ

jahyām asūn vrata-kṛśān śata-janmabhiḥ syāt

Translation

O lotus-eyed one, great souls like Lord Śiva hanker to bathe in the dust of Your lotus feet and thereby destroy their ignorance. If I cannot obtain Your mercy, I shall simply give up my vital force, which will have become weak from the severe penances I will perform. Then, after hundreds of lifetimes of endeavor, I may obtain Your mercy.

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.

Spiritual Dedication Seeks Kṛṣṇa’s Mercy

  1. 1

    Great souls like Lord Śiva long to bathe in the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet to destroy their ignorance. Their longing points to Kṛṣṇa’s supreme position.

  2. 2

    Rukmiṇī seeks Kṛṣṇa’s mercy with extraordinary determination, expressing willingness to endeavor for hundreds of lifetimes.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that her dedication is possible only on the spiritual platform. It does not belong to the fragile world of mundane affection.

Key points from the purport
  • The divine Rukmiṇī’s extraordinary dedication to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is possible only on the spiritual platform, not in the fragile world of mundane affection.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 2

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.60.57

Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī had no intention whatsoever of accepting any other husband but Lord Kṛṣṇa, as she stated in her message to the Lord: yarhy ambujākṣa na labheya bhavat-prasādaṁ/ jahyām asūn vrata-kṛśān śata-janmabhiḥ syāt.

Quoted in the purport ofCC Antya 4.63

This verse was spoken by Rukmiṇīdevī in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.52.43).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

If You do not show me this favor, I will give up my life by fasting and observing severe vows. Then perhaps in my next life I will be able to obtain You.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.52
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yasyawhose
  2. aṅghriof the feet
  3. paṅkajalotus
  4. rajaḥwith the dust
  5. snapanambathing
  6. mahāntaḥgreat souls
  7. vāñchantihanker after
  8. umā-patiḥLord Śiva, husband of Goddess Umā
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.52

    In this verse: “give up”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.52

    In this verse: “mercy”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.52

    In this verse: “longing”

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 does Rukmiṇī’s dedication encourage me to seek Kṛṣṇa’s mercy patiently?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, asking for His mercy and steadiness in devotional service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySpiritual Dedication Seeks Kṛṣṇa’s MercyThis 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 10.52.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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