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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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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.53.25

Who is speaking and story frame

दुर्भगाया न मे धाता नानुकूलो महेश्वर: । देवी वा विमुखी गौरी रुद्राणी गिरिजा सती ॥ २५ ॥

durbhagāyā na me dhātā

nānukūlo maheśvaraḥ

devī vā vimukhī gaurī

rudrāṇī girijā satī

Translation

I am extremely unfortunate, for the creator is not favorably disposed toward me, nor is the great Lord Śiva. Or perhaps Śiva’s wife, Devī, who is known as Gaurī, Rudrāṇī, Girijā and Satī, has turned against me.

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.

Anxiety Shapes Rukmiṇī’s Thoughts

  1. 1

    Rukmiṇī felt extremely unfortunate and wondered whether the creator, Lord Śiva or Devī was unfavorable toward her.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains how she questioned each possibility. She wondered whether she had neglected Śiva’s worship or offended Gaurīdevī, whom she worshiped daily.

  3. 3

    With realized poetic sensitivity, the ācārya interprets Devī’s various names through Rukmiṇī’s distressed thoughts. These thoughts express her misery, rather than establish that the deities had turned against her.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that Rukmiṇī might have thought, “Even if Kṛṣṇa wanted to come, He might have been stopped on the path by the creator, Brahmā, who is not favorably inclined toward me.
  • Perhaps it is Maheśvara, Lord Śiva, whom on some occasion I did not properly worship and who thus became angry with me.
  • Thus the ācārya, with realized poetic sensitivity, interprets the various names used in this verse.

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 53: Kṛṣṇa Kidnaps Rukmiṇī

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When the time came for Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī to visit the temple of Śrī Ambikā, she proceeded there surrounded by many guards. After bowing down to the deity, Rukmiṇī prayed to be allowed to have Śrī Kṛṣṇa as her husband.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.53
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. durbhagāyāḥwho is unfortunate
  2. nanot
  3. mewith me
  4. dhātāthe creator (Lord Brahmā)
  5. nanot
  6. anukūlaḥfavorably disposed
  7. mahā-īśvaraḥthe great Lord Śiva
  8. devīthe goddess (his consort)
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.53

    In this verse: “favorably”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.53

    In this verse: “worship”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.53

    In this verse: “distressed”

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

When I feel distressed, do I sometimes treat my fears as established facts?

Practice

Notice one anxious assumption today and pause to distinguish what you fear from what you actually know.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAnxiety Shapes Rukmiṇī’s ThoughtsThis 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 10.53.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.