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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 53: Kṛṣṇa Kidnaps Rukmiṇī

10.53.1 10.53.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.53.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The Supreme Lordsince 10.53.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीभगवानुवाच

तथाहमपि तच्चित्तो निद्रां च न लभे निशि ।

वेदाहं रुक्‍मिणा द्वेषान्ममोद्वाहो निवारित: ॥ २ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

tathāham api tac-citto

nidrāṁ ca na labhe niśi

vedāham rukmiṇā dveṣān

mamodvāho nivāritaḥ

Translation

The Supreme Lord said: Just as Rukmiṇī’s mind is fixed on Me, My mind is fixed on her. I can’t even sleep at night. I know that Rukmī, out of envy, has forbidden our marriage.

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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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Reciprocates Rukmiṇī’s Love

1
Rukmiṇī’s mind was fixed on Kṛṣṇa, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead declared that His mind was fixed on her.
2
The Lord said that He could not even sleep at night, expressing His deep affection for her.
3
He knew that Rukmī had forbidden their marriage out of envy.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.60.46

In this regard Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that Lord Kṛṣṇa had already declared His love for Rukmiṇī: tathāham api tac-citto nidrāṁ ca na labhe niśi.

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

Chapter 53: Kṛṣṇa Kidnaps Rukmiṇī

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After Lord Kṛṣṇa had heard the brāhmaṇa messenger recite Rukmiṇī’s letter, the Lord said to him, “I am indeed attracted to Rukmiṇī, and I know of her brother Rukmī’s opposition to My marrying her. Therefore I must kidnap her after crushing all the low-class kings, just as one might generate fire from wood by friction.”

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.53