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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 57: Satrājit Murdered, the Jewel Returned
10.57.3110.57.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.57.32

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The elderssince 10.57.32inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

देवेऽवर्षति काशीश: श्वफल्कायागताय वै ।

स्वसुतां गान्दिनीं प्रादात् ततोऽवर्षत् स्म काशिषु ॥ ३२ ॥

deve ’varṣati kāśīśaḥ

śvaphalkāyāgatāya vai

sva-sutāṁ gāṇdinīṁ prādāt

tato ’varṣat sma kāśiṣu

Translation

[The elders said:] Previously, when Lord Indra had withheld rain from Kāsī [Benares], the king of that city gave his daughter Gāndinī to Śvaphalka, who was then visiting him. It soon rained in the kingdom of Kāśī.

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.

The Elders Recall Śvaphalka’s Influence

  1. 1

    When Lord Indra withheld rain, the King of Kāśī gave his daughter Gāndinī to the visiting Śvaphalka. Soon afterward, rain fell in the kingdom.

  2. 2

    Śvaphalka was Akrūra’s father. The citizens felt that the son must have the same power as his father.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that Akrūra went to Kāśī in a time of difficulty because of his relationship with his maternal grandfather, its king.

Key points from the purport
  • Śvaphalka was Akrūra’s father, and the citizens felt that the son must have the same power as the father.
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that because of Akrūra’s relationship with his maternal grandfather, the King of Kāśī, in a time of difficulty Akrūra went to that city.

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 57: Satrājit Murdered, the Jewel Returned

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The city elders explained, “Once there was a drought in Benares, and the king of the region gave his daughter in marriage to Akrūra’s father, who was visiting Benares at the time. As a result of this gift, the drought ended.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.57
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. devewhen the demigod, Lord Indra
  2. avarṣatihad not been supplying rain
  3. kāśī-īśaḥthe King of Benares
  4. śvaphalkāyato Śvaphalka (Akrūra’s father)
  5. āgatāyawho had come
  6. vaicertainly
  7. svahis own
  8. sutāmdaughter
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.57

    In this verse: “king”, “kingdom”, “citizens”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.57

    In this verse: “father”

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 distinguish what the elders remembered from what they inferred about Akrūra?

Practice

Reread the verse and purport, noting the event the elders recalled and the conclusion they drew.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.57's connections

Live this todayThe Elders Recall Śvaphalka’s InfluenceThis 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 10.57.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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