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.
10.60.3810.60.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.60.39

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Rukmiṇīsince 10.60.34inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

त्वं न्यस्तदण्डमुनिभिर्गदितानुभाव

आत्मात्मदश्च जगतामिति मे वृतोऽसि ।

हित्वा भवद्भ्रुव उदीरितकालवेग

ध्वस्ताशिषोऽब्जभवनाकपतीन् कुतोऽन्ये ॥ ३९ ॥

tvaṁ nyasta-daṇḍa-munibhir gaditānubhāva

ātmātma-daś ca jagatām iti me vṛto ’si

hitvā bhavad-bhruva udīrita-kāla-vega-

dhvastāśiṣo ’bja-bhava-nāka-patīn kuto ’nye

Translation

Knowing that great sages who have renounced the sannyāsī’s daṇḍa proclaim Your glories, that You are the Supreme Soul of all the worlds, and that You are so gracious that You give away even Your own self, I chose You as my husband, rejecting Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and the rulers of heaven, whose aspirations are all frustrated by the force of time, which is born from Your eyebrows. What interest, then, could I have in any other suitors?

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.

Choose Kṛṣṇa With Clear Understanding

  1. 1

    Those who glorify Kṛṣṇa are not merely beggars but sages in the paramahaṁsa stage. They have reached the highest spiritual advancement and given up the sannyāsī’s rod.

  2. 2

    Rukmiṇī chose Kṛṣṇa because she understood His glories. He is the Supreme Soul of all worlds and is so gracious that He gives even Himself.

  3. 3

    Even Brahmā, Śiva and the rulers of heaven have their hopes frustrated by time, which comes from Kṛṣṇa. Rukmiṇī’s choice therefore showed deep insight, not a lack of foresight.

Key points from the purport
  • Rukmiṇī further mentions that she passed over lesser personalities like Brahmā, Śiva and the rulers of heaven because she saw that even though, materially speaking, they are great personalities, they are frustrated by the powerful waves of time, which emanate from the eyebrows of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • Therefore, far from lacking foresight, Rukmiṇī chose Lord Kṛṣṇa after an exhaustive appraisal of the entire cosmic situation.
  • Actually, I chose You because I knew of Your true glories.”

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

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:

At the time of your marriage you showed no interest in any of the royal suitors; rather, you sent a brāhmaṇa messenger for Me. Thus you are certainly the most beloved of all My consorts.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.60
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamYou
  2. nyastawho have renounced
  3. daṇḍathe sannyāsī’s staff
  4. munibhiḥby sages
  5. gaditaspoken of
  6. anubhāvaḥwhose prowess
  7. ātmāthe Supreme Soul
  8. ātmāYour own self
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “renounced”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “rulers”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “glorify”

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

Which of Kṛṣṇa’s qualities mentioned here strengthens my desire to choose Him?

Practice

Write down one quality of Kṛṣṇa from this verse and reflect on why it makes Him worthy of your devotion.

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 todayChoose Kṛṣṇa With Clear UnderstandingThis 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 10.60.39? 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