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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 81: The Lord Blesses Sudāmā Brāhmaṇa
10.81.1510.81.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.81.16

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.81.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

क्व‍ाहं दरिद्र: पापीयान् क्व‍ कृष्ण: श्रीनिकेतन: ।

ब्रह्मबन्धुरिति स्माहं बाहुभ्यां परिरम्भित: ॥ १६ ॥

kvāhaṁ daridraḥ pāpīyān

kva kṛṣṇaḥ śrī-niketanaḥ

brahma-bandhur iti smāhaṁ

bāhubhyāṁ parirambhitaḥ

Translation

Who am I? A sinful, poor friend of a brāhmaṇa. And who is Kṛṣṇa? The Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in six opulences. Nonetheless, He has embraced me with His two arms.

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.

Humility Before Kṛṣṇa’s Loving Embrace

  1. 1

    Sudāmā humbly called himself sinful, poor and merely a friend of a brāhmaṇa.

  2. 2

    He contrasted his own position with Kṛṣṇa’s: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in six opulences. Yet Kṛṣṇa had embraced him with both arms.

  3. 3

    Sudāmā was so humble that he considered his poverty his own fault, a result of sin. The purport connects this with the saying that poverty ruins heaps of good qualities.

Key points from the purport
  • This translation is from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s English rendering of Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 7.143).
  • Sudāmā was so humble that he considered his poverty to be his own fault, a result of sin.
  • Such a mentality is in accord with the saying, dāridrya-doṣo guṇa-rāśi-nāśī: “The discrepancy of being poor ruins heaps of good qualities.”

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

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 10.81.16 quotesCC Madhya 7.143

This translation is from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s English rendering of Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 7.143).

Quoted in the purport ofCC Ādi 17.78

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.81.16) spoken by Sudāmā Vipra in the presence of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

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

Humility and separation → Friendship and reunion. The sweetness of relationship outweighs prestige.

Chapters 80–86 of Canto 10: Sudāmā and reunion with the residents of Vraja. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 81: The Lord Blesses Sudāmā Brāhmaṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

But the poor brāhmaṇa was ashamed to present Kṛṣṇa with his meager gift of flat rice. However, since Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul dwelling in all hearts, He knew why Sudāmā had come to visit Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.81
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kvawho am
  2. ahamI
  3. daridraḥpoor
  4. pāpīyānsinful
  5. kvawho is
  6. kṛṣṇaḥKṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  7. śrī-niketanaḥthe transcendental form of all opulence
  8. brahma-bandhuḥthe friend of a brāhmaṇa, not fit even to be called a brāhmaṇa
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.81

    In this verse: “friend”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.81

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.81

    In this verse: “humble”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does Sudāmā’s humility deepen his wonder at Kṛṣṇa’s embrace?

Practice

Offer a brief, humble expression of gratitude for Kṛṣṇa’s kindness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHumility Before Kṛṣṇa’s Loving EmbraceThis 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 10.81.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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