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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
10.54.4610.54.48

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.54.47

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Balarāmasince 10.54.41inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

जन्मादयस्तु देहस्य विक्रियानात्मन: क्व‍‍चित् ।

कलानामिव नैवेन्दोर्मृतिर्ह्यस्य कुहूरिव ॥ ४७ ॥

janmādayas tu dehasya

vikriyā nātmanaḥ kvacit

kalānām iva naivendor

mṛtir hy asya kuhūr iva

Translation

Birth and other transformations are undergone by the body but never by the self, just as change occurs for the moon’s phases but never for the moon, though the new-moon day may be called the moon’s “death.”

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.

The Body Changes, Not the Self

  1. 1

    Birth and other transformations belong to the body, never to the self.

  2. 2

    The moon’s changing phases do not mean that the moon itself is born or dies. Likewise, bodily changes do not transform the soul.

  3. 3

    Thinking of ourselves as young, old, healthy or sick identifies us with the body. Such identification weakens our ability to understand the soul.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Balarāma here explains how the conditioned souls identify with the body and how this identification should be given up.
  • But such identification is an illusion, just as the waxing and waning of the moon is an illusion.
  • When we identify ourselves with the material body, we lose our power to understand the soul.

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:

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. janma-ādayaḥbirth and so on
  2. tubut
  3. dehasyaof the body
  4. vikriyāḥtransformations
  5. nanot
  6. ātmanaḥof the self
  7. kvacitever
  8. kalānāmof the phases
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.54

    In this verse: “death”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.54

    In this verse: “understand”

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

Which bodily condition do I most often mistake for my identity?

Practice

When you notice your age or health today, remind yourself: “This describes my body, not the soul.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Body Changes, Not the SelfThis 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 10.54.47? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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