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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 10.60.57

Who is speaking and story frame

दूतस्त्वयात्मलभने सुविविक्तमन्त्र:

प्रस्थापितो मयि चिरायति शून्यमेतत् ।

मत्वा जिहास इदमङ्गमनन्ययोग्यं

तिष्ठेत तत्त्वयि वयं प्रतिनन्दयाम: ॥ ५७ ॥

dūtas tvayātma-labhane su-vivikta-mantraḥ

prasthāpito mayi cirāyati śūnyam etat

matvā jihāsa idaṁ aṅgam ananya-yogyaṁ

tiṣṭheta tat tvayi vayaṁ pratinandayāmaḥ

Translation

When you sent the messenger with your most confidential plan and yet I delayed going to you, you began to see the whole world as void and wanted to quit your body, which could never have been given to anyone but Me. May this greatness of yours remain with you always; I can do nothing to reciprocate except joyfully thank you for your devotion.

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 Joyfully Honors Exclusive Devotion

  1. 1

    Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī had no intention of accepting any husband other than Lord Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    When Kṛṣṇa delayed coming after she sent her messenger, she saw the whole world as void. Her message expressed her determination to seek His mercy even through hundreds of lifetimes.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa joyfully thanks her for her devotion and wishes that her greatness remain with her always. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam firmly establishes her unique glories.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī had no intention whatsoever of accepting any other husband but Lord Kṛṣṇa, as she stated in her message to the Lord (Bhāg. 10.52.43): yarhy ambujākṣa na labheya bhavat-prasādaṁ/ jahyām asūn vrata-kṛśān śata-janmabhiḥ syāt.
  • Then, after hundreds of lifetimes of endeavor, I may obtain Your mercy.”
  • The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam firmly establishes the unique glories of Queen Rukmiṇī-devī.

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

The purport of SB 10.60.57 quotesSB 10.52.43

Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī had no intention whatsoever of accepting any other husband but Lord Kṛṣṇa, as she stated in her message to the Lord: yarhy ambujākṣa na labheya bhavat-prasādaṁ/ jahyām asūn vrata-kṛśān śata-janmabhiḥ syāt.

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:

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. dūtaḥthe messenger
  2. tvayāby you
  3. ātmaMyself
  4. labhanefor obtaining
  5. su-viviktavery confidential
  6. mantraḥwhose advice
  7. prasthāpitaḥsent
  8. mayiwhen I
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “devotion”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “mercy”

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 can I learn from Rukmiṇī’s unwavering desire for Kṛṣṇa’s mercy?

Practice

Offer a short prayer today asking for steadiness in devotional service while waiting for Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.

5

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 10.52.43

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.60's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Joyfully Honors Exclusive DevotionThis 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 10.60.57? Get an answer from the verses themselves.