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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 77: Lord Kṛṣṇa Slays the Demon Śālva
10.77.2510.77.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.77.26

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śālvasince 10.77.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एष ते जनिता तातो यदर्थमिह जीवसि ।

वधिष्ये वीक्षतस्तेऽमुमीशश्चेत् पाहि बालिश ॥ २६ ॥

eṣa te janitā tāto

yad-artham iha jīvasi

vadhiṣye vīkṣatas te ’mum

īśaś cet pāhi bāliśa

Translation

[Śālva said:] Here is Your dear father, who begot You and for whose sake You are living in this world. I shall now kill him before Your very eyes. Save him if You can, weakling!

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.

Śālva Uses Threats and Mockery

  1. 1

    Śālva calls the person before Kṛṣṇa His dear father, who begot Him.

  2. 2

    He threatens to kill Kṛṣṇa’s father before His very eyes.

  3. 3

    Śālva challenges Kṛṣṇa to save him and calls the Lord a weakling. This insult is Śālva’s mockery, not a description of the Lord’s actual ability.

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 77: Lord Kṛṣṇa Slays the Demon Śālva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The man informed the Lord that His father, Vasudeva, had been kidnapped by Śālva. Upon hearing this, Lord Kṛṣṇa seemed to lament like an ordinary man.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.77
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. eṣaḥthis
  2. teYour
  3. janitāfather who begot You
  4. tātaḥdear
  5. yat-arthamfor whose sake
  6. ihain this world
  7. jīvasiYou live
  8. vadhiṣyeI shall kill
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.77

    In this verse: “father”

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 you distinguish Śālva’s hostile claims from what the verse actually establishes?

Practice

Reread Śālva’s speech, carefully identifying its threat and its insult rather than accepting either as truth.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayŚālva Uses Threats and MockeryThis 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 10.77.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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