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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
  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 58: Kṛṣṇa Marries Five Princesses
10.58.1910.58.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.58.20

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Kālindīsince 10.58.20inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीकालिन्द्युवाच

अहं देवस्य सवितुर्दुहिता पतिमिच्छती ।

विष्णुं वरेण्यं वरदं तप: परममास्थित: ॥ २० ॥

śrī-kālindy uvāca

ahaṁ devasya savitur

duhitā patim icchatī

viṣṇuṁ vareṇyaṁ vara-daṁ

tapaḥ paramam āsthitaḥ

Translation

Śrī Kālindī said: I am the daughter of the sun-god. I desire to get as my husband the most excellent and munificent Lord Viṣṇu, and to that end I am performing severe penances.

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.

Kālindī Desires the Supreme Husband

  1. 1

    Śrī Kālindī identified herself as the daughter of the sun-god.

  2. 2

    She was performing severe penances to obtain the most excellent and munificent Lord Viṣṇu as her husband.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that she correctly understood Lord Viṣṇu to be the source of all benedictions. As the supreme husband, He can fulfill all His wife’s desires.

Key points from the purport
  • As Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out, Śrīmatī Kālindī correctly understood that Lord Viṣṇu, being the source of all benedictions, is the supreme husband and can thus fulfill all the desires of His wife.

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 58: Kṛṣṇa Marries Five Princesses

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Hoping to attain Lord Viṣṇu as my husband, I have been performing severe austerities. I will accept no one else as my husband, and until He marries me I will remain in the Yamunā, living in a house my father built for me here.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.58
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-kālindī uvācaŚrī Kālindī said
  2. ahamI
  3. devasyaof the demigod
  4. savituḥSavitā (the sun-god)
  5. duhitāthe daughter
  6. patimas my husband
  7. icchatīdesiring
  8. viṣṇumLord Viṣṇu
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

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

What does Kālindī’s effort reveal about the strength of her desire for the Lord?

Practice

Set aside a few undistracted minutes today to express your desire to serve the Lord.

Live this todayKālindī Desires the Supreme HusbandThis 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 10.58.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.