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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 55: The History of Pradyumna

10.55.11 10.55.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.55.12

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Ratisince 10.55.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

रतिरुवाच

भवान् नारायणसुत: शम्बरेणहृतो गृहात् ।

अहं तेऽधिकृता पत्नी रति: कामो भवान् प्रभो ॥ १२ ॥

ratir uvāca

bhavān nārāyaṇa-sutaḥ

śambareṇa hṛto gṛhāt

ahaṁ te ’dhikṛtā patnī

ratiḥ kāmo bhavān prabho

Translation

Rati said: You are the son of Lord Nārāyaṇa and were kidnapped from Your parents’ home by Śambara. I, Rati, am Your legitimate wife, O master, because You are Cupid.

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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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Rati Reveals His Identity

1
Rati identifies Him as the son of Lord Nārāyaṇa.
2
She explains that Śambara kidnapped Him from His parents’ home.
3
Rati declares that she is His legitimate wife because He is Cupid, and addresses Him as her master.

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

Chapter 55: The History of Pradyumna

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

It also describes how Pradyumna killed Śambara and returned home with a wife. Kāmadeva (Cupid), an expansion of Lord Vāsudeva, had been burned to ashes by Lord Śiva’s anger and was reborn as part and parcel of Pradyumna from the womb of Rukmiṇī.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.55