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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 84: The Sages’ Teachings at Kurukṣetra
10.84.3710.84.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.84.38

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The sagessince 10.84.35inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

वित्तैषणां यज्ञदानैर्गृहैर्दारसुतैषणाम् ।

आत्मलोकैषणां देव कालेन विसृजेद्ब‍ुध: ।

ग्रामे त्यक्तैषणा: सर्वे ययुर्धीरास्तपोवनम् ॥ ३८ ॥

vittaiṣaṇāṁ yajña-dānair

gṛhair dāra-sutaiṣaṇām

ātma-lokaiṣaṇāṁ deva

kālena visṛjed budhaḥ

grāme tyaktaiṣaṇāḥ sarve

yayur dhīrās tapo-vanam

Translation

An intelligent person should learn to renounce his desire for wealth by performing sacrifices and acts of charity. He should learn to renounce his desire for wife and children by experiencing family life. And he should learn to renounce his desire for promotion to a higher planet in his next life, O saintly Vasudeva, by studying the effects of time. Self-controlled sages who have thus renounced their attachment to household life go to the forest to perform austerities.

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.

Learn to Release Material Desires

  1. 1

    An intelligent person learns to renounce the desire for wealth through sacrifices and acts of charity.

  2. 2

    Experience of family life should teach one to renounce the desire for wife and children. Studying the effects of time helps one relinquish the desire for promotion to a higher planet.

  3. 3

    Self-controlled sages who have renounced attachment to household life go to the forest to perform austerities.

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 84: The Sages’ Teachings at Kurukṣetra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

But just then Vasudeva came forward, bowed to the sages and asked, “What activities can one perform to be freed from the bondage of fruitive work?” The sages replied, “By worshiping the Supreme Lord, Hari, through the performance of Vedic sacrifices, you will become free from the bondage of fruitive work.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.84
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vittafor wealth
  2. eṣaṇāmthe desire
  3. yajñaby sacrifices
  4. dānaiḥand by charity
  5. gṛhaiḥby engagement in household affairs
  6. dārafor wife
  7. sutaand children
  8. eṣaṇāmthe desire
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.84

    In this verse: “attachment”, “household”, “wealth”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.84

    In this verse: “renounce”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.84

    In this verse: “children”

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

What do the effects of time teach me about the lasting value of material ambitions?

Practice

Make one small act of charity today, consciously practicing release from attachment to wealth.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLearn to Release Material DesiresThis 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 10.84.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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