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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 55: The History of Pradyumna
10.55.2210.55.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.55.23

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

ततो गौह्यकगान्धर्वपैशाचोरगराक्षसी: ।

प्रायुङ्क्त शतशो दैत्य: कार्ष्णिर्व्यधमयत्स ता: ॥ २३ ॥

tato gauhyaka-gāndharva-

paiśācoraga-rākṣasīḥ

prāyuṅkta śataśo daityaḥ

kārṣṇir vyadhamayat sa tāḥ

Translation

The demon then unleashed hundreds of mystic weapons belonging to the Guhyakas, Gandharvas, Piśācas, Uragas and Rākṣasas, but Lord Kārṣṇi, Pradyumna, struck them all down.

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.

Pradyumna Defeats Every Mystic Weapon

  1. 1

    The demon unleashed hundreds of mystic weapons.

  2. 2

    These weapons belonged to the Guhyakas, Gandharvas, Piśācas, Uragas and Rākṣasas.

  3. 3

    Lord Kārṣṇi, Pradyumna, struck them all down. None of these weapons overcame Him.

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:

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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.55
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tataḥthen
  2. gauhyaka-gāndharva-paiśāca-uraga-rākṣasīḥ(weapons) of the Guhyakas, Gandharvas, witches, celestial serpents and Rākṣasas (man-eaters)
  3. prāyuṅktahe used
  4. śataśaḥhundreds
  5. daityaḥthe demon
  6. kārṣṇiḥLord Pradyumna
  7. vyadhamayatstruck down
  8. saḥHe
  9. tāḥthese
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 the word “all” shape your understanding of Pradyumna’s victory?

Practice

Spend a moment recalling how Pradyumna defeated every weapon unleashed against Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPradyumna Defeats Every Mystic WeaponThis 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.

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