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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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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
9.10.279.10.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.10.28

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Rāmacandrasince 9.10.22inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कृतैषा विधवा लङ्का वयं च कुलनन्दन ।

देह: कृतोऽन्नं गृध्राणामात्मा नरकहेतवे ॥ २८ ॥

kṛtaiṣā vidhavā laṅkā

vayaṁ ca kula-nandana

dehaḥ kṛto ’nnaṁ gṛdhrāṇām

ātmā naraka-hetave

Translation

O pleasure of the Rākṣasa dynasty, because of you the state of Laṅkā and also we ourselves now have no protector. By your deeds you have made your body fit to be eaten by vultures and your soul fit to go to hell.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

See Consequences Through Eyes of Knowledge

  1. 1

    Rāvaṇa’s deeds left both Laṅkā and his wives without a protector. Mandodarī lamented the consequences he had brought upon them.

  2. 2

    The purport describes two consequences of following Rāvaṇa’s path: the body becomes food for scavengers, and the soul enters a hellish condition. Envy and cruelty bring condemnation under the laws of nature.

  3. 3

    Even while grieving, Mandodarī understood what would happen to Rāvaṇa’s body and soul. Such understanding comes through eyes of knowledge, not merely through material sight.

Key points from the purport
  • One who follows the path of Rāvaṇa is condemned in two ways: his body is fit to be eaten by dogs and vultures, and the soul goes to hell.
  • Thus the destination of godless atheists such as Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, Kaṁsa and Dantavakra is a hellish condition of life.
  • Although lamenting for the death of her husband, she knew what would happen to his body and soul, for although one cannot see directly with one’s material eyes, one can see with eyes of knowledge (paśyanti jñāna-cakṣuṣaḥ).

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

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 9.10.28 quotesBG 16.19

As stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (16.19): “Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.”

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

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṛtāmade by you
  2. eṣāall of this
  3. vidhavāwithout a protector
  4. laṅkāthe state of Laṅkā
  5. vayam caand us
  6. kula-nandanaO pleasure of the Rākṣasas
  7. dehaḥthe body
  8. kṛtaḥmade by you
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “protector”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understanding”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “lamented”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I consider the consequences of my actions beyond what I can immediately see?

Practice

Before acting on one envious or cruel impulse today, pause and consider its consequences.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 9.10's connections

Live this todaySee Consequences Through Eyes of KnowledgeThis 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 9.10.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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