1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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.
10.60.2310.60.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.60.24

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.60.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तस्या: सुदु:खभयशोकविनष्टबुद्धे-

र्हस्ताच्छ्‍लथद्वलयतो व्यजनं पपात ।

देहश्च विक्लवधिय: सहसैव मुह्यन्

रम्भेव वायुविहतो प्रविकीर्य केशान् ॥ २४ ॥

tasyāḥ su-duḥkha-bhaya-śoka-vinaṣṭa-buddher

hastāc chlathad-valayato vyajanaṁ papāta

dehaś ca viklava-dhiyaḥ sahasaiva muhyan

rambheva vāyu-vihato pravikīrya keśān

Translation

Rukmiṇī’s mind was overwhelmed with unhappiness, fear and grief. Her bangles slipped from her hand, and her fan fell to the ground. In her bewilderment she suddenly fainted, her hair scattering all about as her body fell to the ground like a plantain tree blown over by the wind.

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.

Rukmiṇī’s Grief Reveals Her Ecstatic Love

  1. 1

    Shocked by Lord Kṛṣṇa’s words, Rukmiṇī could not understand that He was only teasing.

  2. 2

    Overwhelmed with unhappiness, fear and grief, she dropped her fan and fainted. Her body fell like a plantain tree blown over by the wind.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī describes these symptoms as sāttvika ecstasies, ranging from becoming stunned to dissolution.

Key points from the purport
  • Shocked by Lord Kṛṣṇa’s words, Rukmiṇī could not understand that the Lord was only teasing, and thus she displayed these ecstatic symptoms of grief, which Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī characterizes as sāttvika ecstasies ranging from “becoming stunned” to “dissolution.”

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 19.202

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.60.24) refers to Kṛṣṇa’s speaking to Rukmiṇī in His bedroom.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

She began to cry, and soon she became stunned in extreme fear, pain and sadness and fell unconscious. Lord Kṛṣṇa saw that she had misunderstood His joking, and thus He felt compassion for her.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.60
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. taṣyāḥher
  2. su-duḥkhaby the great unhappiness
  3. bhayafear
  4. śokaand remorse
  5. vinaṣṭaspoiled
  6. buddheḥwhose intelligence
  7. hastātfrom the hand
  8. ślathatslipping
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “fear”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “ecstasies”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “understand”

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 the purport help me understand Rukmiṇī’s grief as an expression of love?

Practice

Reread the purport once, remembering that it describes Rukmiṇī’s symptoms as devotional ecstasy.

5

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 10.60's connections

Live this todayRukmiṇī’s Grief Reveals Her Ecstatic LoveThis 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 10.60.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories