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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
10.54.5010.54.52

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.54.51

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.54.50inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

प्राणावशेष उत्सृष्टो द्विड्‍‌भिर्हतबलप्रभ: ।

स्मरन् विरूपकरणं वितथात्ममनोरथ: ।

चक्रे भोजकटं नाम निवासाय महत्पुरम् ॥ ५१ ॥

prāṇāvaśeṣa utsṛṣṭo

dviḍbhir hata-bala-prabhaḥ

smaran virūpa-karaṇaṁ

vitathātma-manorathaḥ

cakre bhojakaṭaṁ nāma

nivāsāya mahat puram

Translation

Left with only his life air, cast out by his enemies and deprived of his strength and bodily radiance, Rukmī could not forget how he had been disfigured. In frustration he constructed for his residence a large city, which he called Bhojakaṭa.

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.

Humiliation Can Occupy the Mind

  1. 1

    Rukmī is left alive but cast out by his enemies. He has lost his strength and bodily radiance.

  2. 2

    He cannot forget his disfigurement. His mind remains occupied with what has happened to him.

  3. 3

    In frustration, he constructs a large city for his residence. He names it Bhojakaṭa.

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:

Since he had vowed not to return home without conquering Kṛṣṇa, Rukmī constructed a city on that very spot and took up residence there in a mood of undiminished anger. Lord Kṛṣṇa took Rukmiṇī to His capital, Dvārakā, and married her.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.54
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. prāṇahis life air
  2. avaśeṣaḥremaining only
  3. utṣṛṣṭaḥexpelled
  4. dviḍbhiḥby his enemies
  5. hatadestroyed
  6. balahis strength
  7. prabhaḥand bodily effulgence
  8. smaranremembering
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

Is a remembered humiliation influencing a decision I am making?

Practice

Before making one decision today, pause and check whether frustration over a past hurt is driving it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHumiliation Can Occupy the MindThis 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 10.54.51? Get an answer from the verses themselves.