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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 58: Kṛṣṇa Marries Five Princesses
10.58.4510.58.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.58.46

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Kingsince 10.58.41inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बद्ध्वा तान् दामभि: शौरिर्भग्नदर्पान् हतौजस: ।

व्यकर्षल्ल‍ीलया बद्धान् बालो दारुमयान् यथा ॥ ४६ ॥

baddhvā tān dāmabhiḥ śaurir

bhagna-darpān hataujasaḥ

vyakarsal līlayā baddhān

bālo dāru-mayān yathā

Translation

Lord Śauri tied up the bulls, whose pride and strength were now broken, and pulled them with ropes just as a child playfully pulls wooden toy bulls.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Great Strength Becomes Powerless Before Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Lord Śauri tied up the bulls after their pride and strength had been broken.

  2. 2

    He pulled the subdued bulls with ropes.

  3. 3

    The translation compares His effortless action to a child playfully pulling wooden toy bulls.

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:

The girl’s relatives had laid down the stipulation that any man who could subdue a certain group of seven ferocious bulls would win her hand. When Kṛṣṇa heard about this princess, He went to Ayodhyā with a large contingent of soldiers.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.58
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. baddhvātying up
  2. tānthem
  3. dāmabhiḥwith ropes
  4. śauriḥLord Kṛṣṇa
  5. bhagnabroken
  6. darpāntheir pride
  7. hatalost
  8. ojasaḥtheir strength
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

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.58

    In this verse: “pride”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.58

    In this verse: “child”

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 the comparison with wooden toy bulls help you understand about Kṛṣṇa’s power?

Practice

Pause over the image of Kṛṣṇa playfully pulling the bulls, and reflect on His effortless strength.

Live this todayGreat Strength Becomes Powerless Before KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.58.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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