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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 74: The Deliverance of Śiśupāla at the Rājasūya Sacrifice
10.74.3210.74.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.74.33-34

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

तपोविद्याव्रतधरान् ज्ञानविध्वस्तकल्मषान् ।

परमऋषीन्ब्रह्मनिष्ठाल्ँ लोकपालैश्च पूजितान् ॥ ३३ ॥

सदस्पतीनतिक्रम्य गोपाल: कुलपांसन: ।

यथा काक: पुरोडाशं सपर्यां कथमर्हति ॥ ३४ ॥

tapo-vidyā-vrata-dharān

jñāna-vidhvasta-kalmaṣān

paramaṛṣīn brahma-niṣṭhāḻ

loka-pālaiś ca pūjitān

sadas-patīn atikramya

gopālaḥ kula-pāṁsanaḥ

yathā kākaḥ puroḍāśaṁ

saparyāṁ katham arhati

Translation

How can you pass over the most exalted members of this assembly — topmost sages dedicated to the Absolute Truth endowed with powers of austerity, divine insight and strict adherence to severe vows, sanctified by knowledge and worshiped even by the rulers of the universe? How does this cowherd boy, the disgrace of His family, deserve your worship, any more than a crow deserves to eat the sacred puroḍāśa rice cake?

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.

Kṛṣṇa Deserves Our Life and Soul

  1. 1

    Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that go-pāla also means protector of the Vedas and the earth. Words intended as an insult also praise Kṛṣṇa as the destroyer of misguided speculation about truth.

  2. 2

    Śiśupāla’s comparison to a crow can also be understood as declaring Kṛṣṇa beyond material happiness and misery. The Lord stands on the pure, transcendental platform.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa deserves everything we possess, since He is the ultimate proprietor of everything, including ourselves. We should offer Him our life and soul, not merely a ritualistic offering.

Key points from the purport
  • Similarly, although Śiśupāla wanted to compare Lord Kṛṣṇa to a crow with the words yathā kākaḥ, these words may also be divided yathā a-kākaḥ.
  • Finally, Śiśupāla was right in saying the Lord Kṛṣṇa does not deserve merely the puroḍāśa rice cake, offered to the lesser demigods as a substitute for the heavenly beverage soma.
  • Thus we should give Lord Kṛṣṇa our life and soul, not merely a ritualistic offering of rice cakes.

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 74: The Deliverance of Śiśupāla at the Rājasūya Sacrifice

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Śiśupāla, however, could not tolerate this worship and glorification of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He stood up from his seat and harshly rebuked the wise elders for choosing Kṛṣṇa to be worshiped first.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.74
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tapaḥausterity
  2. vidyāVedic knowledge
  3. vratasevere vows
  4. dharānwho maintain
  5. jñānaby spiritual understanding
  6. vidhvastaeradicated
  7. kalmaṣānwhose impurities
  8. paramatopmost
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.74

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “absolute truth”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.74

    In this verse: “rulers”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.74

    In this verse: “worshiped”

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

What part of my life do I still hesitate to offer in Kṛṣṇa’s service?

Practice

Dedicate one small task today to Kṛṣṇa’s service, giving it your full attention.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Deserves Our Life and SoulThis 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 10.74.33-34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.