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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 56: The Syamantaka Jewel

10.56.13 10.56.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.56.14

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.56.9inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

प्रसेनं सहयं हत्वा मणिमाच्छिद्य केशरी ।

गिरिं विशन् जाम्बवता निहतो मणिमिच्छता ॥ १४ ॥

prasenaṁ sa-hayaṁ hatvā

maṇim ācchidya keśarī

giriṁ viśan jāmbavatā

nihato maṇim icchatā

Translation

A lion killed Prasena and his horse and took the jewel. But when the lion entered a mountain cave he was killed by Jāmbavān, who wanted the jewel.

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.

Possession of the Jewel Quickly Changes

1
A lion killed Prasena and his horse and took the jewel.
2
The lion then entered a mountain cave, where Jāmbavān killed him.
3
Jāmbavān wanted the jewel. Neither Prasena nor the lion kept possession of it.

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 56: The Syamantaka Jewel

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

On the road a lion killed Prasena and took the jewel away to a mountain cave, where the king of the bears, Jāmbavān, happened to be living. Jāmbavān killed the lion and gave the jewel to his son to play with.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.56