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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
10.55.310.55.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.55.4

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.55.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तं निर्जगार बलवान् मीन: सोऽप्यपरै: सह ।

वृतो जालेन महता गृहीतो मत्स्यजीविभि: ॥ ४ ॥

taṁ nirjagāra balavān

mīnaḥ so ’py aparaiḥ saha

vṛto jālena mahatā

gṛhīto matsya-jīvibhiḥ

Translation

A powerful fish swallowed Pradyumna, and this fish, along with others, was caught in a huge net and seized by fishermen.

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.

The Fish Carrying Pradyumna Is Caught

  1. 1

    A powerful fish swallowed Pradyumna.

  2. 2

    That fish was caught along with other fish in a huge net.

  3. 3

    Fishermen seized the fish that had swallowed 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:

A powerful fish swallowed Pradyumna and was caught by fishermen in a net. They presented the huge fish to Śambara, and when his cooks cut it open they found a child within its belly.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.55
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tamHim
  2. nirjagāraswallowed
  3. bala-vānpowerful
  4. mīnaḥa fish
  5. saḥhe (the fish)
  6. apiand
  7. aparaiḥothers
  8. sahatogether with
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

Can I follow these events attentively without adding explanations the verse does not give?

Practice

Recall the three events in order: Pradyumna was swallowed, the fish was caught in a net, and fishermen seized it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Fish Carrying Pradyumna Is CaughtThis 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 10.55.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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