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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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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 66: Pauṇḍraka, the False Vāsudeva
10.66.210.66.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.66.3

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.66.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

दूतं च प्राहिणोन्मन्द: कृष्णायाव्यक्तवर्त्मने ।

द्वारकायां यथा बालो नृपो बालकृतोऽबुध: ॥ ३ ॥

dūtaṁ ca prāhiṇon mandaḥ

kṛṣṇāyāvyakta-vartmane

dvārakāyāṁ yathā bālo

nṛpo bāla-kṛto ’budhaḥ

Translation

Thus slow-witted King Pauṇḍraka sent a messenger to the inscrutable Lord Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā. Pauṇḍraka was acting just like an unintelligent child whom other children are pretending is a king.

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.

Pretending Does Not Make Someone Supreme

  1. 1

    Pauṇḍraka sent his messenger to the inscrutable Lord Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā.

  2. 2

    He acted like an unintelligent child whom other children were pretending was a king.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that Śukadeva Gosvāmī repeats the sending of the message because he is astonished at Pauṇḍraka’s extreme foolishness.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the reason Śukadeva Gosvāmī here mentions for the second time that Pauṇḍraka sent a message to Lord Kṛṣṇa is that the great sage is astonished at Pauṇḍraka’s extreme foolishness.

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 66: Pauṇḍraka, the False Vāsudeva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Śrī Kṛṣṇa then told Pauṇḍraka’s messenger to convey a message to his master: “O fool, I will force you to give up the so-called Sudarśana disc and the other divine symbols of Mine you have dared to assume. And when you lie down on the battlefield, you will become the shelter of dogs.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.66
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dūtama messenger
  2. caand
  3. prāhiṇothe sent
  4. mandaḥslow-witted
  5. kṛṣṇāyato Lord Kṛṣṇa
  6. avyaktainscrutable
  7. vartmanewhose path
  8. dvārakāyāmat Dvārakā
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.66

    In this verse: “king”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.66

    In this verse: “child”

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

Am I treating others’ approval as proof of a claim that may not be true?

Practice

Examine one belief about your own importance and ask whether it rests only on others’ approval.

Live this todayPretending Does Not Make Someone SupremeThis 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 10.66.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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