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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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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.55.40

Who is speaking and story frame

यं वै मुहु: पितृसरूपनिजेशभावा-

स्तन्मातरो यदभजन् रहरूढभावा: ।

चित्रं न तत् खलु रमास्पदबिम्बबिम्बे

कामे स्मरेऽक्षविषये किमुतान्यनार्य: ॥ ४० ॥

yaṁ vai muhuḥ pitṛ-sarūpa-nijeśa-bhāvās

tan-mātaro yad abhajan raha-rūḍha-bhāvāḥ

citraṁ na tat khalu ramāspada-bimba-bimbe

kāme smare ’kṣa-viṣaye kim utānya-nāryaḥ

Translation

It is not astonishing that the palace women, who should have felt maternal affection for Pradyumna, privately felt ecstatic attraction for Him as if He were their own Lord. After all, the son exactly resembled His father. Indeed, Pradyumna was a perfect reflection of the beauty of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the shelter of the goddess of fortune, and appeared before their eyes as Cupid Himself. Since even those on the level of His mother felt conjugal attraction for Him, then what to speak of how other women felt when they saw Him?

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

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’s Beauty Recalls Lord Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Whenever the palace women saw Śrī Pradyumna, they immediately remembered their Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. His appearance exactly resembled His father’s.

  2. 2

    Although they stood in the position of His mothers, the women mistook Him for Kṛṣṇa and felt bashful conjugal attraction. The purport explains that this was not astonishing, since Pradyumna was factually Cupid himself.

  3. 3

    Pradyumna perfectly reflected the beauty of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the shelter of the goddess of fortune. The focus remains on the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • As Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains, whenever the palace women saw Śrī Pradyumna, they immediately remembered their Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
  • Śrīla Prabhupāda comments as follows in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has explained that in the beginning all the residents of the palace, who were all mothers and stepmothers of Pradyumna, mistook Him to be Kṛṣṇa and were all bashful, infected by the desire for conjugal love.
  • There was no cause of astonishment, therefore, when the mothers of Pradyumna and other women mistook him in that way.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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:

Because Pradyumna’s beauty so closely resembled Kṛṣṇa’s, the ladies in a maternal relationship with Pradyumna could not help thinking of Him as their conjugal lover. He was, after all, the exact reflection of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and therefore it was natural for them to see Him in this way.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.55
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yamwhom
  2. vaiindeed
  3. muhuḥrepeatedly
  4. pitṛHis father
  5. sa-rūpawho exactly resembled
  6. nijaas their own
  7. īśamaster
  8. bhāvāḥwho thought of Him
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.55

    In this verse: “mother”, “father”, “mothers”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.55

    In this verse: “ecstatic”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.55

    In this verse: “shelter”

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 purport explain the palace women’s attraction through their remembrance of Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

As a small act of devotional service today, reread the description of Kṛṣṇa as the shelter of the goddess of fortune and remember Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPradyumna’s Beauty Recalls Lord KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.55.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.