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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 90: Summary of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Glories
10.90.2210.90.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.90.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The queenssince 10.90.15inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

शुष्यद्‌ध्रदा: करशिता बत सिन्धुपत्न्‍य:

सम्प्रत्यपास्तकमलश्रिय इष्टभर्तु: ।

यद्वद् वयं मधुपते: प्रणयावलोक-

मप्राप्य मुष्टहृदया: पुरुकर्शिता: स्म ॥ २३ ॥

śuṣyad-dhradāḥ karaśitā bata sindhu-patnyaḥ

sampraty apāsta-kamala-śriya iṣṭa-bhartuḥ

yadvad vayaṁ madhu-pateḥ praṇayāvalokam

aprāpya muṣṭa-hṛdayāḥ puru-karśitāḥ sma

Translation

O rivers, wives of the ocean, your pools have now dried up. Alas, you have shriveled to nothing, and your wealth of lotuses has vanished. Are you, then, like us, who are withering away because of not receiving the affectionate glance of our dear husband, the Lord of Madhu, who has cheated our hearts?

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 Is the Reservoir of All Happiness

  1. 1

    The queens address the rivers as wives of the ocean, whose pools have dried up and whose wealth of lotuses has vanished.

  2. 2

    During summer, the rivers lack the downpours supplied by their husband, the ocean, through the clouds.

  3. 3

    The queens see a deeper cause: like themselves, the rivers have not received Kṛṣṇa’s loving glance. The purport calls Him the reservoir of all happiness.

Key points from the purport
  • During the summer the rivers do not receive downpours of water provided by their husband, the ocean, via the clouds.
  • But the real reason for the rivers’ emaciation, as the queens see it, is that they have failed to obtain the loving glance of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the reservoir of all happiness.

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 90: Summary of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Glories

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Sometimes, after playing with the Lord in the water, they would address various creatures — kurarī and cakravāka birds, the ocean, the moon, a cloud, a cuckoo, a mountain, a river and so on — declaring their great attachment to Śrī Kṛṣṇa on the pretext of commiserating with these creatures. Lord Kṛṣṇa begot ten sons in the womb of each of His queens.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.90
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śuṣyatdrying up
  2. hradāḥwhose lakes
  3. karaśitāḥshriveled up
  4. bataalas
  5. sindhuof the ocean
  6. patnyaḥO wives
  7. sampratinow
  8. apāstalost
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.90

    In this verse: “wealth”

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 does the image of a dried river convey about the queens’ longing for Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Pause today to remember Lord Kṛṣṇa as the reservoir of all happiness.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Reservoir of All HappinessThis 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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