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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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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.1.20

Who is speaking and story frame

तत्र गत्वा जगन्नाथं देवदेवं वृषाकपिम् । पुरुषं पुरुषसूक्तेन उपतस्थे समाहित: ॥ २० ॥

tatra gatvā jagannāthaṁ

deva-devaṁ vṛṣākapim

puruṣaṁ puruṣa-sūktena

upatasthe samāhitaḥ

Translation

After reaching the shore of the Ocean of Milk, the demigods worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, the master of the whole universe, the supreme God of all gods, who provides for everyone and diminishes everyone’s suffering. With great attention, they worshiped Lord Viṣṇu, who lies on the Ocean of Milk, by reciting the Vedic mantras known as the Puruṣa-sūkta.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Worship the Supreme Lord With Full Attention

  1. 1

    The demigods worshiped Lord Viṣṇu with great attention by reciting the Puruṣa-sūkta. He provides for everyone and diminishes everyone’s suffering.

  2. 2

    All demigods are subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is equal to or greater than Him.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, with an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. Viṣṇu is His plenary expansion.

Key points from the purport
  • The demigods, such as Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, King Indra, Candra and Sūrya, are all subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • No one is equal to or greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He is described here by many words: jagannātha, deva-deva, vṛṣākapi and puruṣa.
  • Viṣṇu is a plenary expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and all the viṣṇu-tattvas are parameśvara, deva-deva.

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 10.1.20 quotesBG 10.12

The supremacy of Lord Viṣṇu is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (10.12) in this statement by Arjuna: “You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person.

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

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

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa: Introduction

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Sympathetic to mother earth’s lamentation, Brahmā, accompanied by Lord Śiva and other demigods, took the cow-shaped mother earth to the shore of the Milk Ocean, where he offered prayers to please Lord Viṣṇu, who lay there on an island in transcendental ecstasy. Brahmā thereafter understood the advice of Mahā-Viṣṇu, who informed him that He would appear on the surface of the earth to mitigate the burden created by the demons.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.1
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tatrathere (on the shore of the Ocean of Milk)
  2. gatvāafter going
  3. jagannāthamunto the master of the entire universe, the Supreme Being
  4. deva-devamthe Supreme God of all gods
  5. vṛṣākapimthe Supreme Person, Viṣṇu, who provides for everyone and diminishes everyone’s suffering
  6. puruṣamthe Supreme Person
  7. puruṣa-sūktenawith the Vedic mantra known as Puruṣa-sūkta
  8. upatastheworshiped
  9. samāhitaḥwith full attention
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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 10.1

    In this verse: “worshiped”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “reciting”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “suffering”

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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What would help you give the Supreme Lord fuller attention during worship?

Practice

Set aside one distraction and spend a minute offering attentive worship to Kṛṣṇa.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWorship the Supreme Lord With Full AttentionThis 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 10.1.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.