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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 64: The Deliverance of King Nṛga
10.64.3510.64.37-38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.64.36

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

राजानो राजलक्ष्म्यान्धा नात्मपातं विचक्षते ।

निरयं येऽभिमन्यन्ते ब्रह्मस्वं साधु बालिशा: ॥ ३६ ॥

rājāno rāja-lakṣmyāndhā

nātma-pātaṁ vicakṣate

nirayaṁ ye ’bhimanyante

brahma-svaṁ sādhu bāliśāḥ

Translation

Members of the royal order, blinded by royal opulence, fail to foresee their own downfall. Childishly hankering to enjoy a brāhmaṇa’s property, they are actually hankering to go to hell.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Opulence Can Blind Us to Downfall

  1. 1

    Royal opulence can blind members of the royal order. They fail to foresee their own downfall.

  2. 2

    Their desire to enjoy a brāhmaṇa’s property is described as childish.

  3. 3

    What they see as something desirable actually leads toward hell. Their hankering hides the consequences from them.

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 64: The Deliverance of King Nṛga

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Yama asked me which I preferred to do first: suffer the results of my sins or enjoy the results of my pious acts. I decided to suffer my sinful reactions first, and thus I assumed the body of a lizard.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.64
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. rājānaḥmembers of the kingly class
  2. rājaroyal
  3. lakṣmyāby opulence
  4. andhāḥblinded
  5. nado not
  6. ātmatheir own
  7. pātamfall
  8. vicakṣateforesee
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.64

    In this verse: “childishly”, “childish”

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

Could wealth or position make me overlook the consequences of taking what is not mine?

Practice

Pause over one thing you want today and check whether obtaining it would disregard its owner’s rights.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOpulence Can Blind Us to DownfallThis 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 10.64.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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