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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 10.83.3

Who is speaking and story frame

कुतोऽशिवं त्वच्चरणाम्बुजासवं

महन्मनस्तो मुखनि:सृतं क्व‍‍चित् ।

पिबन्ति ये कर्णपुटैरलं प्रभो

देहंभृतां देहकृदस्मृतिच्छिदम् ॥ ३ ॥

kuto ’śivaṁ tvac-caraṇāmbujāsavaṁ

mahan-manasto mukha-niḥsṛtaṁ kvacit

pibanti ye karṇa-puṭair alaṁ prabho

dehaṁ-bhṛtāṁ deha-kṛd-asmṛti-cchidam

Translation

[Lord Kṛṣṇa’s relatives said:] O master, how can misfortune arise for those who have even once freely drunk the nectar coming from Your lotus feet? This intoxicating liquor pours into the drinking cups of their ears, having flowed from the minds of great devotees through their mouths. It destroys the embodied souls’ forgetfulness of the creator of their bodily existence.

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.

Hearing Nectar Removes Forgetfulness

  1. 1

    The Lord’s relatives describe nectar flowing from His lotus feet through the minds and mouths of great devotees.

  2. 2

    The ears are like drinking cups that receive this nectar freely.

  3. 3

    Such hearing destroys forgetfulness of the creator of one’s bodily existence. The relatives ask how misfortune could arise for those who have drunk this nectar.

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 83: Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

They replied, “My Lord, anyone who has just once imbibed through his ears the honey of Your pastimes can never know misfortune.” Then Draupadī inquired from Lord Kṛṣṇa’s wives how the Lord had come to marry them.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.83
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kutaḥfrom where
  2. aśivaminauspiciousness
  3. tvatYour
  4. caraṇaof the feet
  5. ambujalotuslike
  6. āsavamthe intoxicating nectar
  7. mahatof great souls
  8. manastaḥfrom the minds
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.83

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.83

    In this verse: “hearing”

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 attentively do I receive devotees’ words about Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend a few minutes listening attentively to a devotee speak about Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHearing Nectar Removes ForgetfulnessThis 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 10.83.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.