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

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Canto 1 · Creation · 19 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 1 · Chapter 10: Departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa for Dvārakā
1.10.181.10.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.10.19

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.10.2inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

अश्रूयन्ताशिष: सत्यास्तत्र तत्र द्विजेरिता: ।

नानुरूपानुरूपाश्च निर्गुणस्य गुणात्मन: ॥ १९ ॥

aśrūyantāśiṣaḥ satyās

tatra tatra dvijeritāḥ

nānurūpānurūpāś ca

nirguṇasya guṇātmanaḥ

Translation

It was being heard here and there that the benedictions being paid to Kṛṣṇa were neither befitting nor unbefitting because they were all for the Absolute, who was now playing the part of a human being.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Remains Absolute in Humanlike Pastimes

  1. 1

    The benedictions suited Kṛṣṇa’s role as a human being. Yet they were also unfitting because He is absolute and beyond material conditions.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa is nirguṇa: He has no material qualities, but He is full of transcendental qualities. Apparent contradictions lose their contradiction when applied to the Absolute Person.

  3. 3

    His devotees worship Him even as Mākhana-cora, the butter thief, although an ordinary thief is punished. Despite such apparent contradictions, Kṛṣṇa remains the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • The benedictions were fitting in the sense that the Lord was playing the part of a human being, as if a cousin of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, but they were also unfitting because the Lord is absolute and has nothing to do with any kind of material relativities.
  • In the transcendental world there is nothing contradictory, whereas in the relative world everything has its opposite.
  • Therefore the sounds of benedictions uttered by the learned brāhmaṇas here and there appear to be contradictory in relation with the Absolute Person, but when they are applied to the Absolute Person they lose all contradiction and become transcendental.

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

Longing → Joy and continuity. Departure and welcome coexist; Parīkṣit embodies continuity of grace.

Chapters 10–12 of Canto 1: Kṛṣṇa returns to Dvārakā; Parīkṣit is born. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: Departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa for Dvārakā

Kṛṣṇa leaves Hastināpura for Dvārakā amid His relatives’ affection and praise.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. aśrūyantabeing heard
  2. āśiṣaḥbenediction
  3. satyāḥall truths
  4. tatrahere
  5. tatrathere
  6. dvija-īritāḥsounded by learned brāhmaṇas
  7. nanot
  8. anurūpabefitting
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.10

    In this verse: “devotees”, “worship”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.10

    In this verse: “heard”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.10

    In this verse: “material”

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

How might judging Kṛṣṇa by ordinary material standards limit your understanding of Him?

Practice

Reread the translation and remember that Kṛṣṇa’s humanlike role does not make Him an ordinary human being.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Remains Absolute in Humanlike PastimesThis 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 1.10.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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