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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 90: Summary of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Glories
10.90.4110.90.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.90.42

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.90.25inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सङ्ख्यानं यादवानां क: करिष्यति महात्मनाम् ।

यत्रायुतानामयुतलक्षेणास्ते स आहुक: ॥ ४२ ॥

saṅkhyānaṁ yādavānāṁ kaḥ

kariṣyati mahātmanām

yatrāyutānām ayuta-

lakṣeṇāste sa āhukaḥ

Translation

Who can count all the great Yādavas, when among them King Ugrasena alone was accompanied by an entourage of thirty trillion attendants?

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.

Scriptural Numbers Have a Definite Meaning

  1. 1

    King Ugrasena alone had thirty trillion attendants, illustrating how difficult it is to count all the great Yādavas.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains the definite number through kapiñjalādhikaraṇa, the logic of “referring to pigeons.”

  3. 3

    The rules of Mīmāṁsā interpretation take three as the default when no specific number is given. The purport explains that the Vedas do not leave matters vague.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains why specifically thirty trillion, rather than an indefinite number of tens of trillions, is stated here to be the number of King Ugrasena’s attendants.
  • He does so by citing the interpretational rule of kapiñjalādhikaraṇa, the logic of “referring to pigeons”: Somewhere in the Vedas is found the injunction that “one should sacrifice some pigeons.”
  • The rules of Mīmāṁsā interpretation take three as the default number when no specific number is given.

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:

To subdue them, the Lord ordered the demigods to descend into the Yadu dynasty, which then expanded into 101 clans. All of the Yadus recognized Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and had unflinching faith in Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.90
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saṅkhyānamthe counting
  2. yādavānāmof the Yādavas
  3. kaḥwho
  4. kariṣyatican do
  5. mahā-ātmanāmof the great personalities
  6. yatraamong whom
  7. ayutānāmof tens of thousands
  8. ayuta(times) ten thousand
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.90

    In this verse: “king”

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 willing to consult an explanation before treating a scriptural detail as vague?

Practice

Read the purport once more and summarize its interpretational rule in one sentence.

Live this todayScriptural Numbers Have a Definite MeaningThis 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 10.90.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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