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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 · Texts 10.1.5-7

Who is speaking and story frame

पितामहा मे समरेऽमरञ्जयै-र्देवव्रताद्यातिरथैस्तिमिङ्गिलै: । दूरत्ययं कौरवसैन्यसागरंकृत्वातरन् वत्सपदं स्म यत्‍प्लवा: ॥ ५ ॥ द्रौण्यस्त्रविप्लुष्टमिदं मदङ्गंसन्तानबीजं कुरुपाण्डवानाम् । जुगोप कुक्षिं गत आत्तचक्रोमातुश्च मे य: शरणं गताया: ॥ ६ ॥ वीर्याणि तस्याखिलदेहभाजा-मन्तर्बहि: पूरुषकालरूपै: । प्रयच्छतो मृत्युमुतामृतं चमायामनुष्यस्य वदस्व विद्वन् ॥ ७ ॥

pitāmahā me samare ’marañjayair

devavratādyātirathais timiṅgilaiḥ

duratyayaṁ kaurava-sainya-sāgaraṁ

kṛtvātaran vatsa-padaṁ sma yat-plavāḥ

drauṇy-astra-vipluṣṭam idaṁ mad-aṅgaṁ

santāna-bījaṁ kuru-pāṇḍavānām

jugopa kukṣiṁ gata ātta-cakro

mātuś ca me yaḥ śaraṇaṁ gatāyāḥ

vīryāṇi tasyākhila-deha-bhājām

antar bahiḥ pūruṣa-kāla-rūpaiḥ

prayacchato mṛtyum utāmṛtaṁ ca

māyā-manuṣyasya vadasva vidvan

Translation

Taking the boat of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, my grandfather Arjuna and others crossed the ocean of the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, in which such commanders as Bhīṣmadeva resembled great fish that could very easily have swallowed them. By the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, my grandfathers crossed this ocean, which was very difficult to cross, as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf. Because my mother surrendered unto Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, the Lord, Sudarśana-cakra in hand, entered her womb and saved my body, the body of the last remaining descendant of the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas, which was almost destroyed by the fiery weapon of Aśvatthāmā. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, appearing within and outside of all materially embodied living beings by His own potency in the forms of eternal time — that is, as Paramātmā and as virāṭ-rūpa — gave liberation to everyone, either as cruel death or as life. Kindly enlighten me by describing His transcendental characteristics.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet

  1. 1

    For one who accepts the boat of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, the ocean of material existence becomes like the water in a calf’s hoofprint. Taking shelter of Him brings the safest protection.

  2. 2

    Remembering how Kṛṣṇa had protected his family and himself, Parīkṣit Mahārāja chose to think of Him constantly during his last days. Remembering Kṛṣṇa at death makes life successful.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa appears by His own internal energy to favor conditioned souls, not because He is forced to take birth. One who renders service to Him is situated in one’s original spiritual identity, the highest perfection of human life.

Key points from the purport
  • One who seeks shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa is immediately protected by the Lord.
  • Thus when the Pāṇḍavas took shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, all of them were on the safe side of the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.
  • Parīkṣit Mahārāja, therefore, felt obliged to think of Kṛṣṇa in the last days of his life.

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 10.1.5-7 quotesSB 10.14.58

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.58): “For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, or the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoofprint.

The purport of SB 10.1.5-7 quotesBG 18.66

As the Lord promises in Bhagavad-gītā (18.66), ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ: “I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions.

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:

Hearing of kṛṣṇa-līlā is the boat by which to achieve the ultimate goal of life. Except for an animal killer or one who is following a policy of suicide, every intelligent person must strive to understand Kṛṣṇa and His activities.
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. pitāmahāḥmy grandfathers, the five Pāṇḍavas (Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva)
  2. memy
  3. samareon the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
  4. amaram jayaiḥwith fighters who could gain victory over the demigods on the battlefield
  5. devavrata-ādyaBhīṣmadeva and others
  6. atirathaiḥgreat commanders in chief
  7. timiṅgilaiḥresembling great timiṅgila fish, which can easily eat large sharks
  8. duratyayamvery difficult to cross
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “saved”, “protection”, “safest”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.1

    In this verse: “mercy”, “favor”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “materially”, “material”

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

How can gratitude for Kṛṣṇa’s mercy strengthen your desire to remember and serve Him?

Practice

Take one quiet minute today to remember Kṛṣṇa and ask for shelter at His lotus feet.

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.

Live this todayTake shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feetThis 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 10.1.5-7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.