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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

9.10.28 9.10.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.10.29

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.10.29inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

स्वानां विभीषणश्चक्रे कोसलेन्द्रानुमोदित: ।

पितृमेधविधानेन यदुक्तं साम्परायिकम् ॥ २९ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

svānāṁ vibhīṣaṇaś cakre

kosalendrānumoditaḥ

pitṛ-medha-vidhānena

yad uktaṁ sāmparāyikam

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Vibhīṣaṇa, the pious brother of Rāvaṇa and devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, received approval from Lord Rāmacandra, the King of Kosala. Then he performed the prescribed funeral ceremonies for his family members to save them from the path to hell.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Kindness Extends Beyond Death

1
Vibhīṣaṇa was Rāvaṇa’s pious brother and a devotee of Lord Rāmacandra. With the Lord’s approval, he performed the prescribed funeral ceremonies for his family members.
2
The purport explains that severe sin can prevent a person from immediately receiving another body, resulting in ghostly life. The prescribed śrāddha ceremony is meant to save the departed from that condition.
3
Lord Rāmacandra advised Vibhīṣaṇa to perform the duties relating to the dead. In this way, He showed kindness to Rāvaṇa even after his death.

Key points from the purport

To save a diseased person from ghostly life, the funeral ceremony, or śrāddha ceremony, as prescribed in authorized śāstra, must be performed.
Rāvaṇa was killed by Lord Rāmacandra and was destined for hellish life, but by Lord Rāmacandra’s advice, Vibhīṣaṇa, Rāvaṇa’s brother, performed all the duties prescribed in relation to the dead.
Thus Lord Rāmacandra was kind to Rāvaṇa even after Rāvaṇa’s death.

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

Chapter 10: The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Rāmacandra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Mandodarī and other wives lamented for Rāvaṇa, and in accordance with Lord Rāmacandra’s order, Vibhīṣaṇa performed the funeral ceremonies for all the dead in the family. Lord Rāmacandra then gave Vibhīṣaṇa the right to rule Laṅkā and also granted him a long duration of life.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 9.10

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
svānāmof his own family members
vibhīṣaṇaḥVibhīṣaṇa, the brother of Rāvaṇa and devotee of Lord Rāmacandra
cakreexecuted
kosala-indra-anumoditaḥapproved by the King of Kosala, Lord Rāmacandra
pitṛ-medha-vidhānenaby the funeral ceremony performed by the son after the death of his father or some family member
yat uktamwhich have been prescribed
sāmparāyikamduties to be performed after a person’s death to save him from the path to hell

Key ideas in this verse

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

Manvantara · The change of Manus
What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 9.10
In this verse: “king”
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 9.10
In this verse: “devotee”
Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct
Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 9.10
In this verse: “duties”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the Lord’s kindness to Rāvaṇa teach me about extending care beyond resentment?

Practice

Reflect for one minute on Lord Rāmacandra’s kindness even to someone who had opposed Him.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Kindness Extends Beyond DeathThis 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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