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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 78: The Killing of Dantavakra, Vidūratha and Romaharṣaṇa

10.78.36 10.78.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.78.37

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The Supreme Lordsince 10.78.36inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

किं व: कामो मुनिश्रेष्ठा ब्रूताहं करवाण्यथ ।

अजानतस्त्वपचितिं यथा मे चिन्त्यतां बुधा: ॥ ३७ ॥

kiṁ vaḥ kāmo muni-śreṣṭhā

brūtāhaṁ karavāṇy atha

ajānatas tv apacitiṁ

yathā me cintyatāṁ budhāḥ

Translation

Please tell Me your desire, O best of sages, and I shall certainly fulfill it. And, O wise souls, please carefully determine My proper atonement, since I do not know what it might be.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Sets an Example of Humility

1
Lord Balarāma humbly submits Himself before the qualified brāhmaṇas. He sets a perfect example for people in general.
2
He asks the sages to state their desire and promises to fulfill it.
3
He asks the wise sages to carefully determine His proper atonement, saying that He does not know what it should be.

Key points from the purport

Lord Balarāma here sets a perfect example for people in general by humbly submitting Himself before the qualified brāhmaṇas.

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

Chapter 78: The Killing of Dantavakra, Vidūratha and Romaharṣaṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then Śrī Baladeva, following the Vedic maxim that “one’s son takes birth as one’s own self,” granted to Romaharṣaṇa’s son Ugraśravā the position of speaker of the Purāṇas, and in accordance with the sages’ desires He promised Ugraśravā a long life with unfailing sensory capacity. Wanting to do something more for the sages, Lord Baladeva promised to kill a demon named Balvala, who had been polluting their sacrificial arena.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.78