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

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 10 · Chapter 1: The Advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa: Introduction

10.1.10 10.1.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.1.11

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 10.1.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

देहं मानुषमाश्रित्य कति वर्षाणि वृष्णिभि: । यदुपुर्यां सहावात्सीत् पत्न्‍य: कत्यभवन् प्रभो: ॥ ११ ॥

dehaṁ mānuṣam āśritya

kati varṣāṇi vṛṣṇibhiḥ

yadu-puryāṁ sahāvātsīt

patnyaḥ katy abhavan prabhoḥ

Translation

Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no material body, yet He appears as a human being. For how many years did He live with the descendants of Vṛṣṇi? How many wives did He marry, and for how many years did He live in Dvārakā?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Humanlike Form Is Spiritual

1
Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no material body, although He appears as a human being.
2
His form is described as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, a spiritual, blissful body. His bodily feature is narākṛti, exactly like that of a human being.
3
Kṛṣṇa is never nirākāra, or formless. His humanlike appearance does not make His body material.

Key points from the purport

In many places the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, possessing a spiritual, blissful body.
His bodily feature is narākṛti, that is, exactly like that of a human being.
Here the same idea is repeated in the words mānuṣam āśritya, which indicate that He accepts a body exactly like that of a man.

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

Terror → Wonder and relief. The threat of destruction yields to divine appearance.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 10: Threat from Kaṁsa and Kṛṣṇa's birth. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 1: The Advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa: Introduction

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

For how many years did Kṛṣṇa reside in Dvārakā, and how many queens did He have? Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī all these questions.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.1

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

dehambody
mānuṣamexactly like a man
āśrityaaccepting
kati varṣāṇihow many years
vṛṣṇibhiḥin the company of the Vṛṣṇis, those who were born in the Vṛṣṇi family
yadu-puryāmin Dvārakā, in the residential quarters of the Yadus
sahawith
avātsītthe Lord lived

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
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.1
In this verse: “material”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that Kṛṣṇa’s form is spiritual change your understanding of His humanlike appearance?

Practice

Read the translation slowly and recall this distinction: Kṛṣṇa’s form is humanlike, but not material.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Humanlike Form Is SpiritualThis 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 10.1.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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