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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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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 89: Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna Retrieve a Brāhmaṇa’s Sons
10.89.3410.89.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.89.35

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Arjunasince 10.89.32inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

प्रसूतिकाल आसन्ने भार्याया द्विजसत्तम: ।

पाहि पाहि प्रजां मृत्योरित्याहार्जुनमातुर: ॥ ३५ ॥

prasūti-kāla āsanne

bhāryāyā dvija-sattamaḥ

pāhi pāhi prajāṁ mṛtyor

ity āhārjunam āturaḥ

Translation

When the wife of the elevated brāhmaṇa was again about to give birth, he went to Arjuna in great anxiety and begged him, “Please, please protect my child from death!”

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.

An Anxious Father Pleads for Protection

  1. 1

    As the brāhmaṇa’s wife is again about to give birth, he goes to Arjuna.

  2. 2

    Although described as elevated, the brāhmaṇa is filled with anxiety for his child.

  3. 3

    His repeated plea, “Please, please,” expresses his urgent desire that Arjuna protect the child from death.

How it feels

Awe → Reverent fulfillment. The canto closes with theological wonder.

Chapters 87–90 of Canto 10: The Vedas praise and the Lord's glories conclude. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 89: Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna Retrieve a Brāhmaṇa’s Sons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Some time later, the brāhmaṇa’s wife was about to give birth for the tenth time. When Arjuna learned of this, he went to the maternity house and enveloped it with a protective cage of arrows.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.89
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. prasūtiof giving birth
  2. kālethe time
  3. āsannebeing imminent
  4. bhāryāyāḥof his wife
  5. dvijathe brāhmaṇa
  6. sat-tamaḥmost elevated
  7. pāhiplease save
  8. pāhiplease save
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.89

    In this verse: “death”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.89

    In this verse: “child”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.89

    In this verse: “protect”

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 listen when someone expresses deep anxiety?

Practice

Give an anxious person a few minutes of patient listening without dismissing their concern.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAn Anxious Father Pleads for ProtectionThis 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.

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