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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā
10.13.5810.13.60

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.13.59

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.13.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सपद्येवाभित: पश्यन् दिशोऽपश्यत्पुर:स्थितम् ।

वृन्दावनं जनाजीव्यद्रुमाकीर्णं समाप्रियम् ॥ ५९ ॥

sapady evābhitaḥ paśyan

diśo ’paśyat puraḥ-sthitam

vṛndāvanaṁ janājīvya-

drumākīrṇaṁ samā-priyam

Translation

Then, looking in all directions, Lord Brahmā immediately saw Vṛndāvana before him, filled with trees, which were the means of livelihood for the inhabitants and which were equally pleasing in all seasons.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Trees Provide Life and Lasting Happiness

  1. 1

    Looking in all directions, Brahmā saw Vṛndāvana before him, filled with trees. These trees provided the inhabitants with their means of livelihood.

  2. 2

    The trees of Vṛndāvana are equally pleasing in every season. Their contribution to happiness does not disappear with seasonal changes.

  3. 3

    Trees and vegetables are essential and provide the real means of livelihood recommended for everyone. The purport emphasizes dependence on them, rather than industry, for the necessities of life.

Key points from the purport
  • Janājīvya-drumākīrṇam: trees and vegetables are essential, and they give happiness all year round, in all seasons.
  • It is not that in one season the trees are pleasing and in another season not pleasing; rather, they are equally pleasing throughout the seasonal changes.
  • Trees and vegetables, not industry, provide the real means of 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· 1

The purport of SB 10.13.59 quotesSB 1.10.4

Sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. Trees and vegetables, not industry, provide the real means of life.

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

Peril and pride → Friendship and humility. Divinity is revealed amid intimate childhood play.

Chapters 12–19 of Canto 10: Childhood dangers and Brahmā's amazement. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Brahmā could then understand Kṛṣṇa’s potency, and he was astonished by the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, his worshipable Lord. Kṛṣṇa, however, bestowed His causeless mercy upon Brahmā and released him from illusion.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sapadiimmediately
  2. evaindeed
  3. abhitaḥon all sides
  4. paśyanlooking
  5. diśaḥin the directions
  6. apaśyatLord Brahmā saw
  7. puraḥ-sthitamsituated in front of him
  8. vṛndāvanamVṛndāvana
  9. jana-ājīvya-druma-ākīrṇamdense with trees, which were the means of living for the inhabitants
  10. samā-priyamand which was equally pleasing in all seasons
3

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

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 much do I notice my daily dependence on trees and vegetables?

Practice

At one meal today, identify the foods that came from trees or vegetable plants and reflect on how they sustain your life.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTrees Provide Life and Lasting HappinessThis 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 10.13.59? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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