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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
10.54.810.54.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.54.9

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.54.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

हन्यमानबलानीका वृष्णिभिर्जयकाङ्‍‍क्षिभि: ।

राजानो विमुखा जग्मुर्जरासन्धपुर:सरा: ॥ ९ ॥

hanyamāna-balānīkā

vṛṣṇibhir jaya-kāṅkṣibhiḥ

rājāno vimukhā jagmur

jarāsandha-puraḥ-sarāḥ

Translation

Seeing their armies being struck down by the Vṛṣṇis, who were eager for victory, the kings headed by Jarāsandha were discouraged and left the battlefield.

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.

The Opposing Kings Retreat

  1. 1

    The Vṛṣṇis were eager for victory and struck down the opposing armies.

  2. 2

    The kings headed by Jarāsandha saw their forces being defeated.

  3. 3

    Discouraged by these losses, the kings left the battlefield.

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:

The enemy kings, headed by Jarāsandha, retreated after suffering the destruction of their armies at the hands of the Yādavas. Jarāsandha consoled Śiśupāla: “Happiness and distress are never permanent and are under the control of the Supreme Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.54
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. hanyamānabeing killed
  2. bala-anīkāḥwhose armies
  3. vṛṣṇibhiḥby the Vṛṣṇis
  4. jayafor victory
  5. kāṅkṣibhiḥwho were eager
  6. rājānaḥthe kings
  7. vimukhāḥdiscouraged
  8. jagmuḥleft
  9. jarāsandha-puraḥ-sarāḥheaded by Jarāsandha
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.54

    In this verse: “kings”

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 connection does this verse show between what the kings saw, felt and did?

Practice

Note the verse’s three stages: the armies’ defeat, the kings’ discouragement and their departure.

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.

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

Live this todayThe Opposing Kings RetreatThis 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 10.54.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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