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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.8.46

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीराजोवाच

नन्द: किमकरोद् ब्रह्मन्श्रेय एवं महोदयम् ।

यशोदा च महाभागा पपौ यस्या: स्तनं हरि: ॥ ४६ ॥

śrī-rājovāca

nandaḥ kim akarod brahman

śreya evaṁ mahodayam

yaśodā ca mahā-bhāgā

papau yasyāḥ stanaṁ hariḥ

Translation

Having heard of the great fortune of mother Yaśodā, Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī: O learned brāhmaṇa, mother Yaśodā’s breast milk was sucked by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What past auspicious activities did she and Nanda Mahārāja perform to achieve such perfection in ecstatic love?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Yaśodā’s Incomparable Good Fortune

  1. 1

    Without sukṛti, or pious activities, no one can come to the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā surpassed the four kinds of pious people who approach the Lord. Parīkṣit Mahārāja therefore asked what past activities had brought them such perfection.

  3. 3

    Yaśodā’s fortune was incomparable because she was always in association with Kṛṣṇa. Even when He was grown up, He would sit on her lap.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja naturally inquired, “What kind of pious activities did they perform in their past lives by which they achieved such a stage of perfection?”
  • Of course, Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā are accepted as the father and mother of Kṛṣṇa, yet mother Yaśodā was more fortunate than Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa’s father, because Nanda Mahārāja was sometimes separated from Kṛṣṇa whereas Yaśodā, Kṛṣṇa’s mother, was not separated from Kṛṣṇa at any moment.
  • Therefore there is no comparison to the fortune of mother Yaśodā, and Parīkṣit Mahārāja naturally inquired, yaśodā ca mahā-bhāgā.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 10.8.46 quotesBG 7.16

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.16), catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjuna.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Worry and play → Parental tenderness. The Supreme becomes the beloved child of His devotees.

Chapters 5–11 of Canto 10: Gokula, Yaśodā and the infant Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: Lord Kṛṣṇa Shows the Universal Form Within His Mouth

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After describing all this to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, at Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s request, praised the fortune of mother Yaśodā and Nanda. Nanda and Yaśodā were formerly Droṇa and Dharā, and by the order of Brahmā they came to this earth and had the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.8
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-rājā uvācaMahārāja Parīkṣit further inquired (from Śukadeva Gosvāmī)
  2. nandaḥMahārāja Nanda
  3. kimwhat
  4. akarotperformed
  5. brahmanO learned brāhmaṇa
  6. śreyaḥauspicious activities, like performing penances and austerities
  7. evamas exhibited by him
  8. mahā-udayamfrom which they achieved the greatest perfection
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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 10.8

    In this verse: “yaśodā”, “nanda”, “mother”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.8

    In this verse: “love”, “ecstatic”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.8

    In this verse: “heard”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does Yaśodā’s good fortune teach you about the value of association with Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend a minute reflecting on Yaśodā’s constant association with Kṛṣṇa as described in this purport.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayYaśodā’s Incomparable Good FortuneThis 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 10.8.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.