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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 54: The Marriage of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī
10.54.2610.54.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.54.27

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.54.17inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अष्टभिश्चतुरो वाहान् द्वाभ्यां सूतं ध्वजं त्रिभि: ।

स चान्यद्धनुराधाय कृष्णं विव्याध पञ्चभि: ॥ २७ ॥

aṣṭabhiś caturo vāhān

dvābhyāṁ sūtaṁ dhvajaṁ tribhiḥ

sa cānyad dhanur ādhāya

kṛṣṇaṁ vivyādha pañcabhiḥ

Translation

The Lord struck Rukmī’s four horses with eight arrows, his chariot driver with two, and the chariot’s flag with three. Rukmī grabbed another bow and struck Lord Kṛṣṇa with five arrows.

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.

Rukmī Continues His Resistance

  1. 1

    The Lord struck Rukmī’s four horses with eight arrows.

  2. 2

    He struck the chariot driver with two arrows and the chariot’s flag with three. The translation describes each action precisely.

  3. 3

    Rukmī took up another bow and struck Lord Kṛṣṇa with five arrows. He continued fighting rather than giving up his challenge.

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:

He approached the Lord, struck Him with arrows and demanded that He release Rukmiṇī. Śrī Kṛṣṇa fended off Rukmī’s weapons, breaking them to pieces.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.54
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. aṣṭabhiḥwith eight (arrows)
  2. caturaḥthe four
  3. vāhānhorses
  4. dvābhyāmwith two
  5. sūtamthe chariot driver
  6. dhvajamthe flagpole
  7. tribhiḥwith three
  8. saḥhe, Rukmī
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

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 does Rukmī’s immediate return to fighting reveal about his determination to oppose Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read the verse slowly once, then offer a brief prayer to direct your determination toward serving Kṛṣṇa rather than opposing Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRukmī Continues His ResistanceThis 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.

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