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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 66: Pauṇḍraka, the False Vāsudeva
10.66.3910.66.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.66.40

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.66.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कृत्यानल: प्रतिहत: स रथाङ्गपाणे-

रस्त्रौजसा स नृप भग्नमुखो निवृत्त: ।

वाराणसीं परिसमेत्य सुदक्षिणं तं

सर्त्विग्जनं समदहत् स्वकृतोऽभिचार: ॥ ४० ॥

kṛtyānalaḥ pratihataḥ sa rathānga-pāṇer

astraujasā sa nṛpa bhagna-mukho nivṛttaḥ

vārāṇasīṁ parisametya sudakṣiṇaṁ taṁ

sartvig-janaṁ samadahat sva-kṛto ’bhicāraḥ

Translation

Frustrated by the power of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s weapon, O King, the fiery creature produced by black magic turned his face away and retreated. Created for violence, the demon then returned to Vārāṇasī, where he surrounded the city and then burned Sudakṣiṇa and his priests to death, even though Sudakṣiṇa was his creator.

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.

Violence Turns Against Its Creators

  1. 1

    Frustrated by the power of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s weapon, the fiery demon retreated to Vārāṇasī. There he burned Sudakṣiṇa and his priests to ashes.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that, according to these black-art mantras, a weapon that fails to kill the enemy kills its original creator. Sudakṣiṇa originated the attack, and the priests assisted him.

  3. 3

    The purport identifies this as the way of demons: they create something to kill God, but that same weapon kills them.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Prabhupāda comments as follows: “Having failed to set fire to Dvārakā, the fiery demon went back to Vārāṇasī, the kingdom of Kāśirāja.
  • As a result of his return, all the priests who had helped instruct the black art of mantras, along with their employer, Sudakṣiṇa, were burned into ashes by the glaring effulgence of the fiery demon.
  • Sudakṣiṇa was the originator, and the priests assisted him; therefore all of them were burned to ashes.

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:

The Sudarśana overpowered the demon, who then returned to Vārāṇasī and burned Sudakṣiṇa to ashes, together with his priests. The Sudarśana disc, following the demon, entered Vārāṇasī and burned the entire city to the ground.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.66
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṛtyāproduced by mystic power
  2. analaḥthe fire
  3. pratihataḥfrustrated
  4. saḥhe
  5. ratha-aṅga-pāṇeḥof Lord Kṛṣṇa, Who holds the Sudarśana disc in His hand
  6. astraof the weapon
  7. ojasāby the power
  8. saḥhe
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.66

    In this verse: “death”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.66

    In this verse: “king”

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 allowing any wish to harm someone to shape my actions?

Practice

Refrain from one hurtful word or retaliatory action today, remembering the destructive purpose shown here.

Live this todayViolence Turns Against Its CreatorsThis 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 10.66.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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