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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 55: The History of Pradyumna
10.55.1310.55.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.55.14

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

तमिमं जहि दुर्धर्षं दुर्जयं शत्रुमात्मन: ।

मायाशतविदं तं च मायाभिर्मोहनादिभि: ॥ १४ ॥

tam imaṁ jahi durdharṣaṁ

durjayaṁ śatrum ātmanaḥ

māyā-śata-vidaṁ taṁ ca

māyābhir mohanādibhiḥ

Translation

Now kill this dreadful Śambara, Your formidable enemy. Although he knows hundreds of magic spells, You can defeat him with bewildering magic and other techniques.

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.

A Formidable Enemy Can Be Defeated

  1. 1

    Rati urges Him to kill Śambara, His dreadful and formidable enemy.

  2. 2

    Śambara knows hundreds of magic spells, making him a powerful opponent.

  3. 3

    Despite Śambara’s powers, Rati says He can defeat him with bewildering magic and other techniques.

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 55: The History of Pradyumna

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The demon tried various magic spells against Pradyumna, but Pradyumna fended off all of them with the Mahā-māyā mantras and then beheaded Śambara with His sword. At that moment Ratidevī appeared in the sky and took Pradyumna away to Dvārakā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.55
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tam imamhim
  2. jahiplease kill
  3. durdharṣamwho is difficult to approach
  4. durjayamand difficult to conquer
  5. śatrumenemy
  6. ātmanaḥYour own
  7. māyāmagic spells
  8. śatahundreds
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

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

How does Rati acknowledge the enemy’s strength while expressing confidence in his defeat?

Practice

Read the verse once more and identify both the difficulty Rati describes and the means of overcoming it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Formidable Enemy Can Be DefeatedThis 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 10.55.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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