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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

10.55.4 10.55.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.55.5

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 शम्बराय कैवर्ता उपाजह्रुरुपायनम् ।

सूदा महानसं नीत्वावद्यन् सुधितिनाद्भ‍ुतम् ॥ ५ ॥

taṁ śambarāya kaivartā

upājahrur upāyanam

sūdā mahānasaṁ nītvā-

vadyan sudhitinādbhutam

Translation

The fishermen presented that extraordinary fish to Śambara, who had his cooks bring it to the kitchen, where they began cutting it up with a butcher knife.

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.

The Extraordinary Fish Reaches Śambara’s Kitchen

1
The fishermen presented the extraordinary fish to Śambara.
2
Śambara had his cooks bring the fish into the kitchen.
3
There the cooks began cutting it up with a butcher knife.

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:

They presented the huge fish to Śambara, and when his cooks cut it open they found a child within its belly. The cooks gave the infant to the maidservant Māyāvatī, who was astonished to see Him.

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