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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 60: Lord Kṛṣṇa Teases Queen Rukmiṇī.
10.60.1210.60.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.60.13

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Lordsince 10.60.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अस्पष्टवर्त्मनां पुंसामलोकपथमीयुषाम् ।

आस्थिता: पदवीं सुभ्रु प्राय: सीदन्ति योषित: ॥ १३ ॥

aspaṣṭa-vartmanām puṁsām

aloka-patham īyuṣām

āsthitāḥ padavīṁ su-bhru

prāyaḥ sīdanti yoṣitaḥ

Translation

O fine-browed lady, women are usually destined to suffer when they stay with men whose behavior is uncertain and who pursue a path not approved by society.

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 Continues His Teasing Warning

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa addresses Rukmiṇī affectionately as a fine-browed lady.

  2. 2

    He says that women usually suffer when they remain with men whose behavior is uncertain.

  3. 3

    He also describes such men as pursuing a path not approved by society. In this teasing exchange, He presents this warning to Rukmiṇī.

How it feels

Conflict and affection → Devotional wonder. Divine intimacy coexists with royal duties.

Chapters 60–69 of Canto 10: Palace life, family bonds and heroic protection. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 60: Lord Kṛṣṇa Teases Queen Rukmiṇī.

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Why, then, did you accept such an unsuitable husband as Me, who once renounced My kingdom and fled to the sea in fear of Jarāsandha? Besides, I transgress worldly morality, and because I own nothing I am dear to other paupers.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.60
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. aspaṣṭauncertain
  2. vartmanāmwhose behavior
  3. puṁsāmof men
  4. alokanot acceptable to ordinary society
  5. pathamway
  6. īyuṣāṁwho take to
  7. āsthitāḥfollowing
  8. padavīmthe path
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 concern about uncertain behavior is expressed in Kṛṣṇa’s warning?

Practice

Read the warning carefully, noticing both its reference to suffering and its place in Kṛṣṇa’s teasing conversation.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Continues His Teasing WarningThis 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 10.60.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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