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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 66: Pauṇḍraka, the False Vāsudeva
10.66.4010.66.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.66.41

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.66.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

चक्रं च विष्णोस्तदनुप्रविष्टं

वाराणसीं साट्टसभालयापणाम् ।

सगोपुराट्टालककोष्ठसङ्कुलां

सकोशहस्त्यश्वरथान्नशालिनीम् ॥ ४१ ॥

cakraṁ ca viṣṇos tad-anupraviṣṭaṁ

vārānasīṁ sāṭṭa-sabhālayāpaṇām

sa-gopurāṭṭālaka-koṣṭha-saṅkulāṁ

sa-kośa-hasty-aśva-rathānna-śālinīm

Translation

Lord Viṣṇu’s disc also entered Vārāṇasī, in pursuit of the fiery demon, and proceeded to burn the city to the ground, including all its assembly halls and residential palaces with raised porches, its numerous marketplaces, gateways, watchtowers, warehouses and treasuries, and all the buildings housing elephants, horses, chariots and grains.

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.

Worldly Opulence Cannot Withstand the Lord

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu’s disc entered Vārāṇasī in pursuit of the fiery demon and burned the city to the ground.

  2. 2

    The destruction included assembly halls, residential palaces, marketplaces, gateways and watchtowers. The city’s grand buildings could not withstand the disc.

  3. 3

    Warehouses, treasuries and buildings housing elephants, horses, chariots and grains were also burned. The city’s wealth and supplies did not preserve it.

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 disc, following the demon, entered Vārāṇasī and burned the entire city to the ground. Then the Lord’s disc returned to His side in Dvārakā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.66
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. cakramthe disc
  2. caand
  3. viṣṇoḥof Lord Viṣṇu
  4. tatit (the fire demon)
  5. anupraviṣṭamentering in pursuit
  6. vārāṇasīmVārāṇasī
  7. sawith
  8. aṭṭaraised porches
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.66

    In this verse: “wealth”

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

Do I place more confidence in material resources than in the Lord?

Practice

Notice one possession you rely on for security, and take a moment to acknowledge its limits before the Lord.

Live this todayWorldly Opulence Cannot Withstand the LordThis 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 10.66.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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