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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 10.89.50

Who is speaking and story frame

तम: सुघोरं गहनं कृतं महद्

विदारयद् भूरितरेण रोचिषा ।

मनोजवं निर्विविशे सुदर्शनं

गुणच्युतो रामशरो यथा चमू: ॥ ५० ॥

tamaḥ su-ghoraṁ gahanaṁ kṛtaṁ mahad

vidārayad bhūri-tareṇa rociṣā

mano-javaṁ nirviviśe sudarśanaṁ

guṇa-cyuto rāma-śaro yathā camūḥ

Translation

The Lord’s Sudarśana disc penetrated the darkness with its blazing effulgence. Racing forward with the speed of the mind, it cut through the fearsome, dense oblivion expanded from primeval matter, as an arrow shot from Lord Rāma’s bow cuts through His enemy’s army.

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.

Sudarśana Cuts Through the Dense Darkness

  1. 1

    The Lord’s Sudarśana disc penetrated the darkness with its blazing effulgence.

  2. 2

    Moving with the speed of the mind, it cut through the fearsome, dense darkness expanded from primeval matter.

  3. 3

    Its passage is compared to an arrow from Lord Rāma’s bow cutting through His enemy’s army.

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. tamaḥthe darkness
  2. suvery
  3. ghoramfearsome
  4. gahanamdense
  5. kṛtama manifestation of the material creation
  6. mahatimmense
  7. vidārayatcutting through
  8. bhūri-tareṇaextremely extensive
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: “fearsome”

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

Which detail in this description most helps me appreciate the power of the Lord’s Sudarśana disc?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute recalling Sudarśana’s blazing passage through the darkness as a devotional reflection on the Lord’s power.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySudarśana Cuts Through the Dense DarknessThis 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 10.89.50? Get an answer from the verses themselves.