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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.55.32

Who is speaking and story frame

मम चाप्यात्मजो नष्टो नीतो य: सूतिकागृहात् ।

एतत्तुल्यवयोरूपो यदि जीवति कुत्रचित् ॥ ३२ ॥

mama cāpy ātmajo naṣṭo

nīto yaḥ sūtikā-gṛhāt

etat-tulya-vayo-rūpo

yadi jīvati kutracit

Translation

If my lost son, who was kidnapped from the maternity room, were still alive somewhere, He would be of the same age and appearance as this young man.

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.

Rukmiṇī Considers Her Son’s Possible Survival

  1. 1

    Rukmiṇī remembered that her lost son had been kidnapped from the maternity room.

  2. 2

    She considered the possibility that He was still alive somewhere.

  3. 3

    If He were alive, His age and appearance would match those of the young man before her.

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:

“If He were still alive,” she thought, “He would be the same age as this Pradyumna standing before me.” While Rukmiṇī reflected in this way, Lord Kṛṣṇa arrived in the company of Devakī and Vasudeva.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.55
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. mamamy
  2. caand
  3. apialso
  4. ātmajaḥson
  5. naṣṭaḥlost
  6. nītaḥtaken
  7. yaḥwho
  8. sūtikā-gṛhātfrom the maternity room
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 Rukmiṇī’s comparison express both uncertainty and the possibility of reunion?

Practice

Note the two things Rukmiṇī compares—age and appearance—and reread her words without turning her uncertainty into certainty.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRukmiṇī Considers Her Son’s Possible SurvivalThis 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 10.55.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.