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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 10.1.3

Who is speaking and story frame

अवतीर्य यदोर्वंशे भगवान् भूतभावन: । कृतवान् यानि विश्वात्मा तानि नो वद विस्तरात् ॥ ३ ॥

avatīrya yador vaṁśe

bhagavān bhūta-bhāvanaḥ

kṛtavān yāni viśvātmā

tāni no vada vistarāt

Translation

The Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the cause of the cosmic manifestation, appeared in the dynasty of Yadu. Please tell me elaborately about His glorious activities and character, from the beginning to the end of His life.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hearing about Kṛṣṇa frees us

  1. 1

    All the activities Kṛṣṇa performed while present on earth are beneficial to human society. Hearing these activities brings liberation.

  2. 2

    There are two kinds of kṛṣṇa-kathā: Bhagavad-gītā, spoken personally by Kṛṣṇa, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, describing His glories.

  3. 3

    Simply chanting or repeating kṛṣṇa-kathā frees one from the contamination of Kali-yuga. The mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to hear about Kṛṣṇa and become free from material bondage.

Key points from the purport
  • In this verse the words kṛtavān yāni indicate that all the different activities Kṛṣṇa performed while present on earth are beneficial to human society.
  • If religionists, philosophers and people in general simply hear the activities of Kṛṣṇa, they will be liberated.
  • This is the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: to hear about Kṛṣṇa and thus be liberated from material bondage.

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· 2

The purport of SB 10.1.3 quotesSB 12.3.51

Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet. Simply by chanting or repeating kṛṣṇa-kathā, one is liberated from the contamination of Kali-yuga.

The purport of SB 10.1.3 quotesCC Madhya 7.128

Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore advised, yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa. This is the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: to hear about Kṛṣṇa and thus be liberated from material bondage.

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:

When Śukadeva Gosvāmī finished describing the dynasty of Yadu, as well as the dynasties of the moon-god and sun-god, Mahārāja Parīkṣit requested him to describe Lord Kṛṣṇa, who appeared with Baladeva in the Yadu dynasty, and how Kṛṣṇa performed His activities within this world. Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, the King said, and therefore to understand His activities is the occupation of liberated persons.
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. avatīryaafter descending
  2. yadoḥ vaṁśein the dynasty of Yadu
  3. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. bhūta-bhāvanaḥwho is the cause of the cosmic manifestation
  5. kṛtavānexecuted
  6. yāniwhatever (activities)
  7. viśva-ātmāthe Supersoul of the entire universe
  8. tāniall of those (activities)
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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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “free from”

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 can you make hearing about Kṛṣṇa a regular part of your day?

Practice

Spend five minutes reading Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam aloud.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 12.3.51

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.1's connections

Live this todayHearing about Kṛṣṇa frees usThis 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 10.1.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.