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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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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.58.56

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रुतकीर्ते: सुतां भद्रां उपयेमे पितृष्वसु: ।

कैकेयीं भ्रातृभिर्दत्तां कृष्ण: सन्तर्दनादिभि: ॥ ५६ ॥

śrutakīrteḥ sutāṁ bhadrāṁ

upayeme pitṛ-ṣvasuḥ

kaikeyīṁ bhrātṛbhir dattāṁ

kṛṣṇaḥ santardanādibhiḥ

Translation

Bhadrā was a princess of the Kaikeya kingdom and the daughter of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s paternal aunt Śrutakīrti. The Lord married Bhadrā when her brothers, headed by Santardana, offered her to Him.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Accepts Bhadrā in Marriage

  1. 1

    Bhadrā was a princess of the Kaikeya kingdom.

  2. 2

    She was the daughter of Śrutakīrti, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s paternal aunt.

  3. 3

    Bhadrā’s brothers, headed by Santardana, offered her to the Lord. Kṛṣṇa accepted her in marriage.

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:

But Arjuna easily beat them back, and Kṛṣṇa proceeded with Nāgnajitī to Dvārakā. Subsequently Śrī Kṛṣṇa married Lakṣmaṇā after abducting her from her svayaṁvara ceremony, and He also married Bhadrā, the royal sister of Santardana.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.58
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrutakīrteḥof Śrutakīrti
  2. sutāmthe daughter
  3. bhadrāmnamed Bhadrā
  4. upayememarried
  5. pitṛ-svasuḥof His father’s sister
  6. kaikeyīmthe princess of Kaikeya
  7. bhrātṛbhiḥby her brothers
  8. dattāmgiven
  9. kṛṣṇaḥLord Kṛṣṇa
  10. santardana-ādibhiḥheaded by Santardana
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 10.58

    In this verse: “kingdom”

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

How does reading about Bhadrā’s marriage help me attend to Kṛṣṇa’s personal relationships?

Practice

Read the verse aloud once, giving careful attention to Bhadrā’s relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Accepts Bhadrā in MarriageThis 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 10.58.56? Get an answer from the verses themselves.