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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 9 · Chapter 10: The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Rāmacandra
9.10.259.10.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.10.26

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Rāmacandrasince 9.10.22inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

हा हता: स्म वयं नाथ लोकरावण रावण ।

कं यायाच्छरणं लङ्का त्वद्विहीना परार्दिता ॥ २६ ॥

hā hatāḥ sma vayaṁ nātha

loka-rāvaṇa rāvaṇa

kaṁ yāyāc charaṇaṁ laṅkā

tvad-vihīnā parārditā

Translation

O my lord, O master! You epitomized trouble for others, and therefore you were called Rāvaṇa. But now that you have been defeated, we also are defeated, for without you the state of Laṅkā has been conquered by the enemy. To whom will it go for shelter?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Cruelty Leaves Dependents Without Shelter

  1. 1

    The name Rāvaṇa means one who causes others to cry. Mandodarī and the other wives knew how cruel he was.

  2. 2

    Rāvaṇa continuously caused trouble for others. When his sinful activities culminated in troubling Sītādevī, Lord Rāmacandra killed him.

  3. 3

    His wives felt defeated along with him. With Laṅkā conquered and Rāvaṇa gone, they asked where the state could find shelter.

Key points from the purport
  • Rāvaṇa’s wife Mandodarī and the other wives knew very well how cruel a person Rāvaṇa was.
  • The very word “Rāvaṇa” means “one who causes crying for others.”
  • Rāvaṇa continuously caused trouble for others, but when his sinful activities culminated in giving trouble to Sītādevī, he was killed by Lord Rāmacandra.

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:

After organizing the military strength of the monkeys and going with them to the shore of the sea, the Lord awaited the arrival of Samudra, the ocean personified, but when Samudra did not come, the Lord, the master of Samudra, became angry. Then Samudra came to the Lord with great haste and surrendered to Him, wanting to help Him in every way.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.10
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. hāalas
  2. hatāḥkilled
  3. smain the past
  4. vayamall of us
  5. nāthaO protector
  6. loka-rāvaṇaO husband, who created the crying of so many other people
  7. rāvaṇaO Rāvaṇa, one who can cause crying of others
  8. kamunto whom
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “sinful”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might the trouble I cause others also hurt those who depend on me?

Practice

Stop one harsh word or action today that would cause another person distress.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCruelty Leaves Dependents Without ShelterThis 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 9.10.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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