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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 89: Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna Retrieve a Brāhmaṇa’s Sons
10.89.4710.89.50

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.89.48-49

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.89.45inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तत्राश्वा: शैब्यसुग्रीवमेघपुष्पबलाहका: ।

तमसि भ्रष्टगतयो बभूवुर्भरतर्षभ ॥ ४८ ॥

तान् द‍ृष्ट्वा भगवान् कृष्णो महायोगेश्वरेश्वर: ।

सहस्रादित्यसङ्काशं स्वचक्रं प्राहिणोत् पुर: ॥ ४९ ॥

tatrāśvāḥ śaibya-sugrīva-

meghapuṣpa-balāhakāḥ

tamasi bhraṣṭa-gatayo

babhūvur bharatarṣabha

tān dṛṣṭvā bhagavān kṛṣṇo

mahā-yogeśvareśvaraḥ

sahasrāditya-saṅkāśaṁ

sva-cakraṁ prāhiṇot puraḥ

Translation

In that darkness the chariot’s horses — Śaibya, Sugrīva, Meghapuṣpa and Balāhaka — lost their way. Seeing them in this condition, O best of the Bhāratas, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme master of all masters of yoga, sent His Sudarśana disc before the chariot. That disc shone like thousands of suns.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Apparent Limits Serve His Pastimes

  1. 1

    Śaibya, Sugrīva, Meghapuṣpa and Balāhaka appeared to lose their way in the darkness. Kṛṣṇa sent His Sudarśana disc ahead, shining like thousands of suns.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that these horses had descended from Vaikuṇṭha to participate in the Lord’s earthly pastimes.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa was pretending to be a finite human being, and His horses acted confused to enhance the drama for future hearers. He remains the supreme master of all masters of yoga.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī gives the following insight into this verse.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa’s horses had descended from Vaikuṇṭha to participate in His earthly pastimes.
  • Since the Lord Himself was pretending to be a finite human being, His steeds now acted confused to enhance the drama of the situation for all who would one day hear this pastime.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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:

Since the horses could not find their way, Kṛṣṇa sent His blazing Sudarśana disc ahead to pierce the gloom. Gradually they came to the water of the Causal Ocean, within which they found the city of Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.89
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tatraat that place
  2. aśvāḥthe horses
  3. śaibya-sugrīva-meghapuṣpa-balāhakāḥnamed Śaibya, Sugrīva, Meghapuṣpa and Balāhaka
  4. tamasiin the darkness
  5. bhraṣṭahaving lost
  6. gatayaḥtheir way
  7. babhūvuḥbecame
  8. bharata-ṛṣabhaO best of the Bhāratas
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

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 does the purport change my understanding of the horses’ apparent confusion?

Practice

Reread this pastime once, remembering that the horses’ confusion was an act within the Lord’s pastime, not a limit on His mastery.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Apparent Limits Serve His PastimesThis 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 10.89.48-49? Get an answer from the verses themselves.