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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.60.44

Who is speaking and story frame

तस्या: स्युरच्युत नृपा भवतोपदिष्टा:

स्‍त्रीणां गृहेषु खरगोश्वविडालभृत्या: ।

यत्कर्णमूलमरिकर्षण नोपयायाद्

युष्मत्कथा मृडविरिञ्चसभासु गीता ॥ ४४ ॥

tasyāḥ syur acyuta nṛpā bhavatopadiṣṭāḥ

strīṇāṁ gṛheṣu khara-go-śva-viḍāla-bhṛtyāḥ

yat-karṇa-mūlam ari-karṣaṇa nopayāyād

yuṣmat-kathā mṛḍa-viriñca-sabhāsu gītā

Translation

O infallible Kṛṣṇa, let each of the kings You named become the husband of a woman whose ears have never heard Your glories, which are sung in the assemblies of Śiva and Brahmā. After all, in the households of such women these kings live like asses, oxen, dogs, cats and slaves.

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.

Hearing Kṛṣṇa’s Glories Changes What We Value

  1. 1

    Rukmiṇī responds sharply to Kṛṣṇa’s praise of powerful, wealthy princes. Their outward greatness does not make them desirable to someone who understands His glories.

  2. 2

    Her animal comparisons expose material burdens, distress in work, disrespect, selfishness and servitude in family affairs.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa’s glories are sung in the assemblies of Śiva and Brahmā. Those who have not heard or understood them may mistake worldly status for true greatness.

Key points from the purport
  • She compares the so-called great princes to asses because they carry many material burdens, to oxen because they are always distressed while performing their occupational duties, to dogs because their wives disrespect them, to cats because they are selfish and cruel, and to slaves because they are servile in family affairs.
  • Such kings may appear desirable to a foolish woman who has not heard or understood the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī adds that such kings are like asses because their wives sometimes kick them, like dogs because they behave inimically toward outsiders in order to protect their homes, and like cats because they eat the remnants left by their wives.

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:

After all, no one is equal to You, the omnipotent master of the three principal deities — Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva.” Rukmiṇī went on to show how everything Kṛṣṇa had said denigrating Himself was actually glorification.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.60
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasyāḥof her
  2. syuḥlet them become (the husbands)
  3. acyutaO infallible Kṛṣṇa
  4. nṛpāḥkings
  5. bhavatāby You
  6. upadiṣṭāḥmentioned
  7. strīṇāmof women
  8. gṛheṣuin the homes
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “households”, “wealthy”, “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “heard”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “kings”

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 hearing Kṛṣṇa’s glories change my attraction to wealth and status?

Practice

Read this verse aloud, giving special attention to the glories of Kṛṣṇa rather than the qualities of worldly kings.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayHearing Kṛṣṇa’s Glories Changes What We ValueThis 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 10.60.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.