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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
10.54.4710.54.49

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.54.48

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

यथा शयान आत्मानं विषयान् फलमेव च ।

अनुभुङ्क्ते ऽप्यसत्यर्थे तथाप्नोत्यबुधो भवम् ॥ ४८ ॥

yathā śayāna ātmānaṁ

viṣayān phalam eva ca

anubhuṅkte ’py asaty arthe

tathāpnoty abudho bhavam

Translation

As a sleeping person perceives himself, the objects of sense enjoyment and the fruits of his acts within the illusion of a dream, so one who is unintelligent undergoes material existence.

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 Absorption Resembles a Dream

  1. 1

    A sleeping person experiences a self, objects of enjoyment and results of actions within a dream. The verse compares unintelligent absorption in material existence to this experience.

  2. 2

    The living being has no intimate connection with the material world. Dreamlike experiences do not establish the soul’s true identity.

  3. 3

    For one who keeps meditating on sense gratification, material life does not go away. It persists like the unpleasant experiences of a dream.

Key points from the purport
  • As stated in śruti, asaṅgo hy ayaṁ puruṣaḥ: “The living being has no intimate connection with the material world.”
  • This point is explained in the present verse.
  • A similar statement is found in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.22.56):

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 10.54.48 quotesSB 11.22.56

A similar statement is found in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.22.56): “For one who is meditating on sense gratification, material life, although lacking factual existence, does not go away, just as the unpleasant experiences of a dream do not.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 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. Accepting Lord Balarāma’s instructions, Rukmiṇī gave up her sorrow.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.54
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yathāas
  2. śayānaḥa sleeping person
  3. ātmānamhimself
  4. viṣayānsense objects
  5. phalamthe fruits
  6. evaindeed
  7. caalso
  8. anubhuṅkteexperiences
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “illusion”, “material”, “sense gratification”

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 repeated thoughts of sense enjoyment keep me absorbed in material life?

Practice

Notice one recurring fantasy of sense enjoyment today, and stop dwelling on it for a minute while reflecting on the dream analogy.

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.

The purport quotesSB 11.22.56

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

Live this todayMaterial Absorption Resembles a DreamThis 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 10.54.48? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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