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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.7.31

Who is speaking and story frame

अहो बतात्यद्भ‍ुतमेष रक्षसा

बालो

निवृत्तिं गमितोऽभ्यगात् पुन: ।

हिंस्र: स्वपापेन विहिंसित:

खल:

साधु: समत्वेन भयाद् विमुच्यते ॥ ३१ ॥

aho batāty-adbhutam eṣa rakṣasā

bālo nivṛttiṁ gamito ’bhyagāt punaḥ

hiṁsraḥ sva-pāpena vihiṁsitaḥ khalaḥ

sādhuḥ samatvena bhayād vimucyate

Translation

It is most astonishing that although this innocent child was taken away by the Rākṣasa to be eaten, He has returned without having been killed or even injured. Because this demon was envious, cruel and sinful, he has been killed for his own sinful activities. This is the law of nature. An innocent devotee is always protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and a sinful person is always vanquished for his sinful life.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Depend Fully on Kṛṣṇa’s Protection

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa conscious life means innocent devotional life. A sādhu is one who is fully devoted to Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    Because of intense parental love, the inhabitants thought Kṛṣṇa was an innocent child saved by the Supreme Lord. They did not understand that He Himself was the Supreme Personality of Godhead and was never in danger.

  3. 3

    Hearing and chanting in devotional service purify one’s life. Faith that Kṛṣṇa will protect His devotee is part of surrender, and our business is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and depend fully on Him.

Key points from the purport
  • Kṛṣṇa conscious life means innocent devotional life, and a sādhu is one who is fully devoted to Kṛṣṇa.
  • Nanda Mahārāja and the gopīs and other cowherd men could not understand that Kṛṣṇa was the Supreme Personality of Godhead playing as a human child and that His life was not in danger under any circumstances.
  • But if one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, the process of devotional service, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, diminishes one’s polluted life of material existence, and one is purified and protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 10.7.31 quotesBG 9.30

As confirmed by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (9.30), bhajate māṁ ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ: anyone fully attached to Kṛṣṇa is a sādhu.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Worry and play → Parental tenderness. The Supreme becomes the beloved child of His devotees.

Chapters 5–11 of Canto 10: Gokula, Yaśodā and the infant Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 7: The Killing of the Demon Tṛṇāvarta

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

But up in the sky, the asura, being overburdened by the child, could not carry the child far away, although he also could not drop the child because the child had caught him so tightly that it was difficult for him to separate the child from his body. Thus Tṛṇāvarta himself fell down from a very great height, the child grasping him tightly by the shoulder, and immediately died.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.7
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ahoalas
  2. bataindeed
  3. ativery much
  4. adbhutamthis incident is wonderfully astonishing
  5. eṣaḥthis (child)
  6. rakṣasāby the man-eating demon
  7. bālaḥthe innocent child Kṛṣṇa
  8. nivṛttimtaken away just to be killed and eaten
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.7

    In this verse: “protected”, “protect”, “saved”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.7

    In this verse: “child”, “parental”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.7

    In this verse: “devotee”, “devotional service”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I strengthen my dependence on Kṛṣṇa through hearing and chanting?

Practice

Set aside five minutes today to hear about Kṛṣṇa or chant His name, remembering His protection.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayDepend Fully on Kṛṣṇa’s ProtectionThis 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 10.7.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.