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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 · Texts 10.53.40-41

Who is speaking and story frame

पद्‍भ्यां विनिर्ययौ द्रष्टुं भवान्या: पादपल्ल‍वम् ।

सा चानुध्यायती सम्यङ्‍मुकुन्दचरणाम्बुजम् ॥ ४० ॥

यतवाङ्‍मातृभि: सार्धं सखीभि: परिवारिता ।

गुप्ता राजभटै: शूरै: सन्नद्धैरुद्यतायुधै: ।

मृदङ्गशङ्खपणवास्तूर्यभेर्यश्च जघ्निरे ॥ ४१ ॥

padbhyāṁ viniryayau draṣṭuṁ

bhavānyāḥ pāda-pallavam

sā cānudhyāyatī samyaṅ

mukunda-caraṇāmbujam

yata-vāṅ mātṛbhiḥ sārdhaṁ

sakhībhiḥ parivāritā

guptā rāja-bhaṭaiḥ śūraiḥ

sannaddhair udyatāyudhaiḥ

mṛḍaṅga-śaṅkha-paṇavās

tūrya-bheryaś ca jaghnire

Translation

Rukmiṇī silently went out on foot to see the lotus feet of the deity Bhavānī. Accompanied by her mothers and girlfriends and protected by the King’s valiant soldiers, who held their upraised weapons at the ready, she simply absorbed her mind in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. And all the while mṛdaṅgas, conchshells, paṇavas, horns and other instruments resounded.

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.

Keep the Mind Absorbed in Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Rukmiṇī went silently on foot to see the lotus feet of the deity Bhavānī.

  2. 2

    Her mothers and girlfriends accompanied her, and the King’s valiant, armed soldiers protected her.

  3. 3

    Although many instruments resounded around her, she simply absorbed her mind in Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.

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:

After bowing down to the deity, Rukmiṇī prayed to be allowed to have Śrī Kṛṣṇa as her husband. Then she took the hand of a girlfriend and left the Ambikā temple.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.53
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. padbhyāmon foot
  2. viniryayauwent out
  3. draṣṭumin order to see
  4. bhavānyāḥof mother Bhavānī
  5. pāda-pallavamthe lotus-petal feet
  6. sāshe
  7. caand
  8. anudhyāyatīmeditating
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

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.53

    In this verse: “protected”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.53

    In this verse: “king’s”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.53

    In this verse: “mothers”

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

Can I remember Kṛṣṇa even when activity and sound surround me?

Practice

During a short walk today, remain silent and remember Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKeep the Mind Absorbed in KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.53.40-41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.