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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 64: The Deliverance of King Nṛga

10.64.33 10.64.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.64.34

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.64.32inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

हिनस्ति विषमत्तारं वह्निरद्भ‍ि: प्रशाम्यति ।

कुलं समूलं दहति ब्रह्मस्वारणिपावक: ॥ ३४ ॥

hinasti viṣam attāraṁ

vahnir adbhiḥ praśāmyati

kulaṁ sa-mūlaṁ dahati

brahma-svāraṇi-pāvakaḥ

Translation

Poison kills only the person who ingests it, and an ordinary fire may be extinguished with water. But the fire generated from the kindling wood of a brāhmaṇa’s property burns the thief’s entire family down to the root.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Avoid the Fire of Stolen Property

1
Poison kills only the person who takes it, and ordinary fire can be extinguished with water. Stealing a brāhmaṇa’s property brings consequences that reach the thief’s entire family.
2
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī compares this to a fire burning inside an old tree. Even numerous rainfalls cannot extinguish it.
3
Such a fire burns the whole tree down to its roots. The purport therefore says that stealing a brāhmaṇa’s property should be avoided at all costs.

Key points from the purport

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī compares the fire ignited by stealing a brāhmaṇa’s property to the fire that blazes within the cavity of an old tree.
Rather, it burns the whole tree from within, all the way down to the roots in the ground.
Similarly, the fire ignited by stealing a brāhmaṇa’s property is the most deadly and should be avoided at all costs.

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

Chapter 64: The Deliverance of King Nṛga

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lord Kṛṣṇa then instructed His personal associates, as well as the general mass of people, on the dangers of stealing a brāhmaṇa’s property. Finally, the Lord returned to His palace.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.64