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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 54: The Marriage of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī
10.54.1210.54.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.54.13

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Jarāsandhasince 10.54.11inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

शौरे: सप्तदशाहं वै संयुगानि पराजित: ।

त्रयोविंशतिभि: सैन्यैर्जिग्ये एकमहं परम् ॥ १३ ॥

śaureḥ sapta-daśāhaṁ vai

saṁyugāni parājitaḥ

trayo-viṁśatibhiḥ sainyair

jigye ekam ahaṁ param

Translation

In battle with Kṛṣṇa I and my twenty-three armies lost seventeen times; only once did I defeat Him.

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.

Material Life Brings Happiness and Distress

  1. 1

    Jarāsandha says that he and his twenty-three armies lost seventeen battles with Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    He also reports that only once did he defeat Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    Jarāsandha offers his own life as an example of the inevitable happiness and distress of this material world.

Key points from the purport
  • Jarāsandha offers his own life as an example of the inevitable happiness and distress of this material world.

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 54: The Marriage of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Seventeen times Kṛṣṇa defeated me, but in the end I was victorious over Him. Thus seeing that victory and defeat are under the control of destiny and time, I have learned not to succumb to either lamentation or joy.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.54
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śaureḥwith Kṛṣṇa
  2. sapta-daśaseventeen
  3. ahamI
  4. vaiindeed
  5. saṁyugānibattles
  6. parājitaḥlost
  7. trayaḥ-viṁśatibhiḥtwenty-three
  8. sainyaiḥwith armies
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.54

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.54

    In this verse: “distress”

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

What do your own changing successes and failures show you about material happiness?

Practice

Recall one success and one disappointment, and note how both belong to life's changing circumstances.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.54's connections

Live this todayMaterial Life Brings Happiness and DistressThis 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 10.54.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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