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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
10.54.3710.54.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.54.38

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Balarāmasince 10.54.37inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मैवास्मान् साध्व्यसूयेथा भ्रातुर्वैरूप्यचिन्तया ।

सुखदु:खदो न चान्योऽस्ति यत: स्वकृतभुक् पुमान् ॥ ३८ ॥

maivāsmān sādhvy asūyethā

bhrātur vairūpya-cintayā

sukha-duḥkha-do na cānyo ’sti

yataḥ sva-kṛta-bhuk pumān

Translation

Saintly lady, please do not be displeased with Us out of anxiety for your brother’s disfigurement. No one but oneself is responsible for one’s joy and grief, for a man experiences the result of his own deeds.

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.

Our Deeds Bring Their Results

  1. 1

    Balarāma addresses Rukmiṇī as a saintly lady and asks her not to be displeased with Them.

  2. 2

    He recognizes her anxiety over her brother’s disfigurement.

  3. 3

    He explains that a person experiences the results of his own deeds and is thus responsible for his own joy and grief.

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:

Lord Baladeva then told Rukmiṇī that the sorry condition of her brother was only the fruit of his past work, since everyone is responsible for his own happiness and suffering. He further instructed her about the transcendental position of the jīva soul and how the illusion of happiness and distress is simply a result of ignorance.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.54
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. māplease do not
  2. evaindeed
  3. asmāntoward Us
  4. sādhviO saintly lady
  5. asūyethāḥfeel inimical
  6. bhrātuḥof your brother
  7. vairūpyaover the disfigurement
  8. cintayāout of concern
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 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

Where can I take responsibility for my own actions rather than dwell on blaming others?

Practice

Review one choice you made today and identify a more responsible choice you can make next time.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOur Deeds Bring Their ResultsThis 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 10.54.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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