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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 81: The Lord Blesses Sudāmā Brāhmaṇa
10.81.1610.81.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.81.17

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.81.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

निवासित: प्रियाजुष्टे पर्यङ्के भ्रातरो यथा ।

महिष्या वीजित: श्रान्तो बालव्यजनहस्तया ॥ १७ ॥

nivāsitaḥ priyā-juṣṭe

paryaṅke bhrātaro yathā

mahiṣyā vījitaḥ śrānto

bāla-vyajana-hastayā

Translation

He treated me just like one of His brothers, making me sit on the bed of His beloved consort. And because I was fatigued, His queen personally fanned me with a yak-tail cāmara.

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.

Personal Care for a Tired Guest

  1. 1

    Sudāmā remembered that Kṛṣṇa treated him just like one of His brothers.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa seated him on the bed of His beloved consort.

  3. 3

    Seeing Sudāmā’s fatigue, Kṛṣṇa’s queen personally fanned him with a yak-tail cāmara.

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:

He was about to eat a second morsel when Rukmiṇī devī stopped Him. Feeling as if he had gone back to Godhead, Sudāmā spent that night comfortably in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s palace, and the next morning he set off for home.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.81
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nivāsitaḥseated
  2. priyāby His beloved
  3. juṣṭeused
  4. paryaṅkeon the bed
  5. bhrātaraḥbrothers
  6. yathājust as
  7. mahiṣyāby His queen
  8. vījitaḥfanned
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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which detail of this personal care helps you appreciate Sudāmā’s welcome?

Practice

Offer a tired person a comfortable seat or another small comfort today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPersonal Care for a Tired GuestThis 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 10.81.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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