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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
10.54.3810.54.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.54.39

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Balarāmasince 10.54.39inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बन्धुर्वधार्हदोषोऽपि न बन्धोर्वधमर्हति ।

त्याज्य: स्वेनैव दोषेण हत: किं हन्यते पुन: ॥ ३९ ॥

bandhur vadhārha-doṣo ’pi

na bandhor vadham arhati

tyājyaḥ svenaiva doṣeṇa

hataḥ kiṁ hanyate punaḥ

Translation

[Again addressing Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma said:] A relative should not be killed even if his wrongdoing warrants capital punishment. Rather, he should be thrown out of the family. Since he has already been killed by his own sin, why kill him again?

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.

Restraint Toward a Guilty Relative

  1. 1

    Balarāma says that a relative should not be killed even when his wrongdoing warrants capital punishment. Rather, he should be excluded from the family.

  2. 2

    He describes such a person as already killed by his own sin and asks why he should be killed again.

  3. 3

    To further encourage Rukmiṇī, Balarāma again emphasizes that Kṛṣṇa should not humiliate Rukmī.

Key points from the purport
  • To further encourage Lady Rukmiṇī, Balarāma again emphasizes that Kṛṣṇa should not humiliate Rukmī.

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:

Seeing Rukmī disfigured, He gently reproached Kṛṣṇa: “To disfigure such a close family member is as good as killing him; therefore he should not be killed but set free.” 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.54
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bandhuḥa relative
  2. vadhabeing killed
  3. arhawhich merits
  4. doṣaḥwhose wrong-doing
  5. apieven though
  6. nanot
  7. bandhoḥfrom a relative
  8. vadhambeing killed
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 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

Can I recognize wrongdoing without wanting to add humiliation to its consequences?

Practice

Today, refrain from repeating one remark that would humiliate a relative who has done wrong.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRestraint Toward a Guilty RelativeThis 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 10.54.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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