1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 56: The Syamantaka Jewel
10.56.2110.56.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.56.22

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

स वै भगवता तेन युयुधे स्वामिनात्मन: ।

पुरुषं प्राकृतं मत्वा कुपितो नानुभाववित् ॥ २२ ॥

sa vai bhagavatā tena

yuyudhe svāmīnātmanaḥ

puruṣam prākṛtaṁ matvā

kupito nānubhāva-vit

Translation

Unaware of His true position and thinking Him an ordinary man, Jāmbavān angrily began fighting with the Supreme Lord, his master.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Is Not an Ordinary Person

  1. 1

    Jāmbavān fought with the Supreme Lord, his own master, because he did not understand His true position.

  2. 2

    The purport warns that translating references to Lord Kṛṣṇa through materialistic conceptions misrepresents the Godhead.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is not a mundane person. He is puruṣottama, the ultimate transcendental person.

Key points from the purport
  • The words puruṣaṁ prākṛtaṁ matvā, “thinking Him a mundane person,” are very significant.
  • So-called Vedic scholars, including most Western ones, enjoy translating the word puruṣam as “man” even when the word refers to Lord Kṛṣṇa, and thus their unauthorized translations of Vedic literature are tainted by their materialistic conceptions of the Godhead.
  • In other words, the Lord is actually puruṣottama, “the ultimate transcendental person.”

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 56: The Syamantaka Jewel

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Jāmbavān considered Kṛṣṇa an ordinary man and began fighting with Him. For twenty-eight days continuously the two fought, until finally Jāmbavān grew weak from the Lord’s blows.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.56
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥhe
  2. vaiindeed
  3. bhagavatāwith the Lord
  4. tenawith Him
  5. yuyudhefought
  6. svāmīnāmaster
  7. ātmanaḥhis own
  8. puruṣama person
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.56

    In this verse: “materialistic”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.56

    In this verse: “understand”

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

Do I approach Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord or think of Him as an ordinary person?

Practice

Before reading today, remind yourself: “Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate transcendental person, my master.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Not an Ordinary PersonThis 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 10.56.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories