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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 74: The Deliverance of Śiśupāla at the Rājasūya Sacrifice

10.74.30 10.74.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.74.31

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śiśupālasince 10.74.31inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ईशो दुरत्यय: काल इति सत्यवती श्रुति: ।

वृद्धानामपि यद् बुद्धिर्बालवाक्यैर्विभिद्यते ॥ ३१ ॥

īśo duratyayaḥ kāla

iti satyavatī srutiḥ

vṛddhānām api yad buddhir

bāla-vākyair vibhidyate

Translation

[Śiśupāla said:] The statement of the Vedas that time is the unavoidable controller of all has indeed been proven true, since the intelligence of wise elders has now become diverted by the words of a mere boy.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize Śiśupāla’s Dismissive Argument

1
Śiśupāla invoked the Vedic statement that time is the unavoidable controller of all.
2
He claimed that the wise elders’ intelligence had been diverted by the words of a mere boy.
3
This was Śiśupāla’s criticism of the assembly’s decision to honor Kṛṣṇa, not an endorsement of his judgment.

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

Chapter 74: The Deliverance of Śiśupāla at the Rājasūya Sacrifice

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He stood up from his seat and harshly rebuked the wise elders for choosing Kṛṣṇa to be worshiped first. “After all” he said, “this Kṛṣṇa is outside the system of Vedic social and spiritual orders and the society of respectable families.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.74