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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

10.53.22 10.53.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.53.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.53.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अहो त्रियामान्तरित उद्वाहो मेऽल्पराधस: । नागच्छत्यरविन्दाक्षो नाहं वेद्‍म्यत्र कारणम् । सोऽपि नावर्ततेऽद्यापि मत्सन्देशहरो द्विज: ॥ २३ ॥

aho tri-yāmāntarita

udvāho me ’lpa-rādhasaḥ

nāgacchaty aravindākṣo

nāhaṁ vedmy atra kāraṇam

so ’pi nāvartate ’dyāpi

mat-sandeśa-haro dvijaḥ

Translation

[Princess Rukmiṇī thought:] Alas, my wedding is to take place when the night ends! How unlucky I am! Lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa does not come. I don’t know why. And even the brāhmaṇa messenger has not yet returned.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Longing for Kṛṣṇa Before Sunrise

1
Rukmiṇī knew that her wedding would take place when the night ended, and she felt herself unlucky.
2
Lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa had not come, and she did not know why. Even her brāhmaṇa messenger had not yet returned.
3
The purport notes that this scene takes place before sunrise, as confirmed by Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī. The approaching end of night gives urgency to her thoughts.

Key points from the purport

It is apparent from this verse, as confirmed by Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, that the present scene takes place before sunrise.

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

Chapter 53: Kṛṣṇa Kidnaps Rukmiṇī

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

On the night before the wedding, Rukmiṇī, about to retire, had still not seen either the brāhmaṇa or Kṛṣṇa arrive. In anxiety, she cursed her bad fortune.

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