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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 71: The Lord Travels to Indraprastha
10.71.3910.71.41-42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.71.40

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:With pleasing words the Lordsince 10.71.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

पितृष्वसुर्गुरुस्‍त्रीणां कृष्णश्चक्रेऽभिवादनम् ।

स्वयं च कृष्णया राजन्भगिन्या चाभिवन्दित: ॥ ४० ॥

pitṛ-svasur guru-strīṇāṁ

kṛṣṇaś cakre ’bhivādanam

svayaṁ ca kṛṣṇayā rājan

bhaginyā cābhivanditaḥ

Translation

Lord Kṛṣṇa bowed down to His aunt and the wives of His elders, O King, and then Draupadī and the Lord’s sister bowed down to Him.

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.

Offer Respect with Delight

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa personally bowed down to His aunt and the wives of His elders.

  2. 2

    He delightfully offered respects and obeisances to Kuntī and the other elderly ladies of the palace.

  3. 3

    Subhadrā and Draupadī offered their respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The meeting included both affection and reverence.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “Lord Kṛṣṇa delightfully offered His respects and obeisances to Kuntī and other elderly ladies of the palace.
  • His younger sister, Subhadrā, was also standing there with Draupadī, and both offered their respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Lord.”

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

War and pride → Justice and protection. The public expression of divine power comes to the foreground.

Chapters 70–79 of Canto 10: Kingship, Jarāsandha and royal challenges. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 71: The Lord Travels to Indraprastha

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Kuntīdevī then requested Draupadī to worship Lord Kṛṣṇa’s wives. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, gratified King Yudhiṣṭhira by remaining there for some months.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.71
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pitṛHis father’s
  2. svasuḥof the sister (Kuntī)
  3. guruof His elders
  4. strīṇāmand of the wives
  5. kṛṣṇaḥLord Kṛṣṇa
  6. cakreperformed
  7. abhivādanamoffering of obeisances
  8. svayamHimself
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.71

    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

How can I offer respect willingly and warmly, rather than merely as a formality?

Practice

Offer a warm, respectful greeting to an elder today, remembering Kṛṣṇa’s delightful example.

5

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.71's connections

Live this todayOffer Respect with DelightThis 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 10.71.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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