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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 59: The Killing of the Demon Naraka
10.59.110.59.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.59.2-3

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.59.2-3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

इन्द्रेण हृतछत्रेण हृतकुण्डलबन्धुना ।

हृतामराद्रिस्थानेन ज्ञापितो भौमचेष्टितम् ।

सभार्यो गरुडारूढ: प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरं ययौ ॥ २ ॥

गिरिदुर्गै: शस्‍त्रदुर्गैर्जलाग्‍न्यनिलदुर्गमम् ।

मुरपाशायुतैर्घोरैर्द‍ृढै: सर्वत आवृतम् ॥ ३ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

indreṇa hṛta-chatreṇa

hṛta-kuṇḍala-bandhunā

hṛtāmarādri-sthānena

jñāpito bhauma-ceṣṭitam

sa-bhāryo garuḍārūḍhaḥ

prāg-jyotiṣa-puraṁ yayau

giri-durgaiḥ śastra-durgair

jalāgny-anila-durgamam

mura-pāśāyutair ghorair

dṛḍhaiḥ sarvata āvṛtam

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: After Bhauma had stolen the earrings belonging to Indra’s mother, along with Varuṇa’s umbrella and the demigods’ playground at the peak of Mandara mountain, Indra went to Lord Kṛṣṇa and informed Him of these misdeeds. The Lord, taking His wife Satyabhāmā with Him, then rode on Garuḍa to Prāgyotiṣa-pura, which was surrounded on all sides by fortifications consisting of hills, unmanned weapons, water, fire and wind, and by obstructions of mura-pāśa wire.

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 Honors His Promises

  1. 1

    Indra informed Lord Kṛṣṇa of Bhauma’s thefts. The Lord took Satyabhāmā with Him and rode on Garuḍa to the heavily fortified Prāgyotiṣa-pura.

  2. 2

    The ācāryas explain that Kṛṣṇa wanted to give His adventurous wife a novel experience. Since Bhūmi is an expansion of Satyabhāmā, Satyabhāmā could also authorize Him to kill Bhūmi’s demoniac son, honoring His earlier promise.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa had promised Satyabhāmā a whole pārijāta tree to pacify her. His journey included obtaining that tree and returning the stolen goods to their rightful owners.

Key points from the purport
  • The ācāryas have explained in various plausible ways why Lord Kṛṣṇa took His wife Satyabhāmā with Him.
  • To pacify Satyabhāmā, Lord Kṛṣṇa had promised her, “I’ll give you a whole tree of these flowers,” and thus the Lord scheduled this procurement of a heavenly tree within His itinerary.
  • Even nowadays devoted husbands take their wives shopping, and thus Lord Kṛṣṇa took Satyabhāmā to the heavenly planets to get a heavenly tree, as well as to retrieve the goods Bhaumāsura had stolen and return them to their rightful owners.

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 59: The Killing of the Demon Naraka

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After Narakāsura stole Lord Varuṇa’s umbrella, mother Aditi’s earrings, and the playground of the demigods known as Maṇi-parvata, Indra went to Dvārakā and described the demon’s transgressions to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Together with Queen Satyabhāmā, the Lord mounted His carrier Garuḍa and traveled to the capital of Narakāsura’s kingdom.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.59
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. indreṇaby Lord Indra
  3. hṛta-chatreṇawho had suffered the theft of (Varuṇa’s) umbrella
  4. hṛta-kuṇḍalathe theft of the earrings
  5. bandhunāof his relative (his mother, Aditi)
  6. hṛtaand the theft
  7. amara-adrion the mountain of the demigods (Mandara)
  8. sthānenaof the special location (the recreational area at its peak, known as Maṇi-parvata)
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.59

    In this verse: “mother”

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 do these explanations help you appreciate about Kṛṣṇa’s care for Satyabhāmā and His promises?

Practice

Choose one explanation for Satyabhāmā’s presence and reread it slowly, reflecting on Kṛṣṇa’s personal care.

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 10.59's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Honors His PromisesThis 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 10.59.2-3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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