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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

10.55.21 10.55.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.55.22

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.55.16inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बाध्यमानोऽस्‍त्रवर्षेण रौक्‍मिणेयो महारथ: ।

सत्त्वात्मिकां महाविद्यां सर्वमायोपमर्दिनीम् ॥ २२ ॥

bādhyamāno ’stra-varṣeṇa

raukmiṇeyo mahā-rathaḥ

sattvātmikāṁ mahā-vidyāṁ

sarva-māyopamardinīm

Translation

Harassed by this rain of weapons, Lord Raukmiṇeya, the greatly powerful warrior, made use of the mystic science called Mahā-māyā, which was created from the mode of goodness and which could defeat all other mystic power.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Mahā-māyā Overcomes Other Mystic Powers

1
Lord Raukmiṇeya was harassed by a rain of weapons, though He was a greatly powerful warrior.
2
He made use of the mystic science called Mahā-māyā, which was created from the mode of goodness.
3
This mystic science could defeat all other mystic power.

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:

She advised Him to kill Śambara, and to help Him she instructed Him in the mystic mantras known as Mahā-māyā. Pradyumna went to Śambara and, after angering him with various insults, challenged him to fight, upon which Śambara angrily took up his club and marched outside.

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