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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 86: Arjuna Kidnaps Subhadrā, and Kṛṣṇa Blesses His Devotees
10.86.1210.86.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.86.13

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.86.13inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

कृष्णस्यासीद् द्विजश्रेष्ठ: श्रुतदेव इति श्रुत: ।

कृष्णैकभक्त्या पूर्णार्थ: शान्त: कविरलम्पट: ॥ १३ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

kṛṣṇasyāsīd dvija-śreṣṭhaḥ

śrutadeva iti śrutaḥ

kṛṣṇaika-bhaktyā pūrṇārthaḥ

śāntaḥ kavir alampataḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: There was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa’s known as Śrutadeva, who was a first-class brāhmaṇa. Perfectly satisfied by rendering unalloyed devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, he was peaceful, learned and free from sense gratification.

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.

Satisfaction Through Unalloyed Devotion

  1. 1

    Śrutadeva was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa and a first-class brāhmaṇa.

  2. 2

    He was perfectly satisfied by rendering unalloyed devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    He was peaceful, learned and free from sense gratification.

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 86: Arjuna Kidnaps Subhadrā, and Kṛṣṇa Blesses His Devotees

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When King Parīkṣit desired to learn about the marriage of his grandmother, Subhadrā-devī, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “While touring on pilgrimage, Arjuna heard that Lord Baladeva intended to give the hand of His sister Subhadrā to Duryodhana in marriage. Wanting to kidnap Subhadrā and marry her himself, Arjuna disguised himself as a renunciant and went to Dvārakā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.86
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva said
  2. kṛṣṇasyaof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  3. āsītthere was
  4. dvijaof brāhmaṇas
  5. śreṣṭhaḥone of the best
  6. śrutadevaḥŚrutadeva
  7. itithus
  8. śrutaḥknown
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.86

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.86

    In this verse: “sense gratification”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.86

    In this verse: “free from”

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

Am I looking for satisfaction in devotional service or in sense gratification?

Practice

Set aside five minutes today for devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa without seeking any material reward.

Live this todaySatisfaction Through Unalloyed DevotionThis 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 10.86.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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