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Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 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 9 · Chapter 10: The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Rāmacandra
9.10.159.10.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.10.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.10.16inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बद्ध्वोदधौ रघुपतिर्विविधाद्रिकूटै:

सेतुं कपीन्द्रकरकम्पितभूरुहाङ्गै: ।

सुग्रीवनीलहनुमत्प्रमुखैरनीकै-

र्लङ्कां विभीषणद‍ृशाविशदग्रदग्धाम् ॥ १६ ॥

baddhvodadhau raghu-patir vividhādri-kūṭaiḥ

setuṁ kapīndra-kara-kampita-bhūruhāṅgaiḥ

sugrīva-nīla-hanumat-pramukhair anīkair

laṅkāṁ vibhīṣaṇa-dṛśāviśad agra-dagdhām

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: After constructing a bridge over the ocean by throwing into the water the peaks of mountains whose trees and other vegetation had been shaken by the hands of great monkeys, Lord Rāmacandra went to Laṅkā to release Sītādevī from the clutches of Rāvaṇa. With the direction and help of Vibhīṣaṇa, Rāvaṇa’s brother, the Lord, along with the monkey soldiers, headed by Sugrīva, Nīla and Hanumān, entered Rāvaṇa’s kingdom, Laṅkā, which had previously been burnt by Hanumān.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Material Nature Obeys the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The monkey soldiers threw mountain peaks covered with trees and plants into the sea. These floated by the supreme will of the Lord.

  2. 2

    Great planets float in space by the same supreme will. The Lord is not controlled by material nature; material nature works under His direction.

  3. 3

    With Vibhīṣaṇa’s direction and the monkey soldiers’ help, Lord Rāmacandra entered Laṅkā to release Sītādevī. His bridge has kept His name and fame eternally celebrated.

Key points from the purport
  • Great mountain peaks covered with trees and plants were thrown into the sea by the monkey soldiers and began to float by the supreme will of the Lord.
  • If this is possible, why should great mountain peaks not be able to float on water?
  • Consequently, for Lord Rāmacandra to construct a bridge over the Indian Ocean with the help of monkey soldiers who threw great mountain peaks into the water is not at all wonderful; it is wonderful only in the sense that it has kept the name and fame of Lord Rāmacandra eternally celebrated.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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

Exile and separation → Loyalty and reunion. Duty, loss and sacrifice shape the dramatic center of this canto.

Chapters 10–12 of Canto 9: The pastimes of Lord Rāmacandra. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Rāmacandra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Previously, Hanumān, the eternal servant of the Lord, had set fire to Laṅkā, and now, with the help of Lakṣmaṇa, the forces of Lord Rāmacandra killed all the Rākṣasa soldiers. Then Lord Rāmacandra personally killed Rāvaṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. baddhvāafter constructing
  2. udadhauin the water of the ocean
  3. raghu-patiḥLord Rāmacandra
  4. vividhavarieties of
  5. adri-kūṭaiḥwith peaks of great mountains
  6. setuma bridge
  7. kapi-indraof powerful monkeys
  8. kara-kampitamoved by the great hands
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “kingdom”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this account deepen your understanding of the Lord’s control over material nature?

Practice

Look at the sky today and remember the purport’s teaching that the planets move under the Lord’s supreme will.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMaterial Nature Obeys the Supreme LordThis 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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