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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
10.90.4610.90.48

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.90.47

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.90.25inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तीर्थं चक्रे नृपोनं यदजनि यदुषु स्व:सरित्पादशौचं

विद्विट्‌स्‍निग्धा: स्वरूपं ययुरजितपरा श्रीर्यदर्थेऽन्ययत्न: ।

यन्नामामङ्गलघ्नं श्रुतमथ गदितं यत्कृतो गोत्रधर्म:

कृष्णस्यैतन्न चित्रं क्षितिभरहरणं कालचक्रायुधस्य ॥ ४७ ॥

tīrthaṁ cakre nṛponaṁ yad ajani yaduṣu svaḥ-sarit pāda-śaucaṁ

vidviṭ-snigdhāḥ svarūpaṁ yayur ajita-para śrīr yad-arthe ’nya-yatnaḥ

yan-nāmāmaṅgala-ghnaṁ śrutam atha gaditaṁ yat-kṛto gotra-dharmaḥ

kṛṣṇasyaitan na citraṁ kṣiti-bhara-haraṇaṁ kāla-cakrāyudhasya

Translation

The heavenly Ganges is a holy place of pilgrimage because her waters wash Lord Kṛṣṇa’s feet. But when the Lord descended among the Yadus, His glories eclipsed the Ganges as a holy place. Both those who hated Kṛṣṇa and those who loved Him attained eternal forms like His in the spiritual world. The unattainable and supremely self-satisfied goddess of fortune, for the sake of whose favor everyone else struggles, belongs to Him alone. His name destroys all inauspiciousness when heard or chanted. He alone has set forth the principles of the various disciplic successions of sages. What wonder is it that He, whose personal weapon is the wheel of time, relieved the burden of the earth?

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 Five Unique Glories

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s glories eclipsed the holiness of the Ganges, and the Yamunā became greater through contact with the dust of His feet. He liberated both devotees and enemies: devotees entered His eternal pastimes, while demons killed by Him merged into His divine form.

  2. 2

    Even Goddess Lakṣmī could not enter the intimate company of His devotees in Vraja, despite her austerities. His name destroys all inauspiciousness and illusion, surpassing other spiritual practices described in scripture.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa restored religion’s four supports: compassion, austerity, cleanliness and truth. He also established Govardhana-pūjā and cultivated the unequaled love of Vraja’s cowherds.

Key points from the purport
  • From beginning to end, the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has been exclusively dedicated to reciting the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, Mathurā and Dvārakā.
  • First, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s reputation eclipsed that of the holy Ganges when He descended into the Yadu dynasty.
  • Fourth, the name Kṛṣṇa is superior to the name Nārāyaṇa and to those of all of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s other expansions.

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

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 10.90.47 quotesSB 10.14.35

“My Lord, You have already given Yourself to Pūtanā and her family members simply because she dressed herself as a devotee.”

The purport of SB 10.90.47 quotesSB 3.2.12

Its limbs were so beautiful that they increased the beauty of the ornaments worn on different parts of His body.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

Before Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared, many demons took birth in human families to harass the people of the world and destroy brahminical culture. To subdue them, the Lord ordered the demigods to descend into the Yadu dynasty, which then expanded into 101 clans.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.90
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tīrthamsacred place of pilgrimage
  2. cakremade
  3. nṛpaO King (Parīkṣit)
  4. ūnamlesser
  5. yatwhich (glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa)
  6. ajaniHe took birth
  7. yaduṣuamong the Yadus
  8. svaḥof heaven
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.90

    In this verse: “chanted”, “heard”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.90

    In this verse: “loved”, “love”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 10.90

    In this verse: “principles”, “religion’s”

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 of these glories most encourages me to hear Kṛṣṇa’s name and deepen my devotion?

Practice

Spend one minute attentively chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name and listening to each repetition.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 10.14.35SB 3.2.12

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.90's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Five Unique GloriesThis 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 10.90.47? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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