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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
1.10.201.10.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.10.21

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.10.2inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

स वै किलायं पुरुष: पुरातनो

य एक आसीदविशेष आत्मनि ।

अग्रे गुणेभ्यो जगदात्मनीश्वरे

निमीलितात्मन्निशि सुप्तशक्तिषु ॥ २१ ॥

sa vai kilāyaṁ puruṣaḥ purātano

ya eka āsīd aviśeṣa ātmani

agre guṇebhyo jagad-ātmanīśvare

nimīlitātman niśi supta-śaktiṣu

Translation

They said: Here He is, the original Personality of Godhead as we definitely remember Him. He alone existed before the manifested creation of the modes of nature, and in Him only, because He is the Supreme Lord, all living beings merge, as if sleeping at night, their energy suspended.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Exists Before Creation

  1. 1

    Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead and the cause of Mahā-Viṣṇu. He existed before material nature was set in motion; His body is completely spiritual.

  2. 2

    During dissolution, living beings remain asleep within the Lord without losing their individual identities. When creation begins again, they resume their unfinished activities.

  3. 3

    Authoritative sources are the only means of knowing transcendental subjects with certainty. The ladies had heard these truths about the Lord from such sources.

Key points from the purport
  • The living beings remain asleep within the body of the Lord until there is another creation of the material world, and that is the way of the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the material manifestation.
  • The material creation is effected by the interaction of the three modes of material nature set in action by the Lord, and therefore it is said here that the Lord existed before the modes of material nature were set in motion.
  • In the śruti-mantra it is said that only Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, existed before the creation, and there was no Brahmā, Śiva or other demigods.

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 1.10.21 quotesBG 8.18

This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.18-19).

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

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. saḥHe (Kṛṣṇa)
  2. vaias I remember
  3. kiladefinitely
  4. ayamthis
  5. puruṣaḥPersonality of Godhead
  6. purātanaḥthe original
  7. yaḥwho
  8. ekaḥonly one
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “heard”

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 does knowing that Kṛṣṇa is not a product of matter change my understanding of Him?

Practice

Reread the translation today and spend one minute remembering that Kṛṣṇa exists before and beyond the material creation.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Exists Before CreationThis 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 1.10.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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