1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 14: Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa
10.14.1610.14.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.17

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 10.14.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यस्य कुक्षाविदं सर्वं सात्मं भाति यथा तथा ।

तत्त्वय्यपीह तत् सर्वं किमिदं मायया विना ॥ १७ ॥

yasya kukṣāv idaṁ sarvaṁ

sātmaṁ bhāti yathā tathā

tat tvayy apīha tat sarvaṁ

kim idaṁ māyayā vinā

Translation

Just as this entire universe, including You, was exhibited within Your abdomen, so it is now manifested here externally in the same exact form. How could such things happen unless arranged by Your inconceivable energy?

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Accept the Lord’s Inconceivable Energy

  1. 1

    The entire universe, including Kṛṣṇa Himself, was displayed within His abdomen. That same universe is also manifested externally in exactly the same form.

  2. 2

    Brahmā recognizes that this is possible only through the Lord’s inconceivable energy. The creation cannot be understood apart from His potency.

  3. 3

    The purport emphasizes that accepting the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is necessary to explain things as they are.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Prabhupāda comments on this verse as follows in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “Lord Brahmā stressed herein that without accepting the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot explain things as they are.”

The purport'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

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 14: Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Finally realizing this, Brahmā repeatedly condemned his own actions and recognized that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the ultimate shelter of the universe, is Brahmā’s own father, the original Nārāyaṇa. In this way Brahmā begged the Lord’s forgiveness.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yasyaof whom
  2. kukṣauwithin the abdomen
  3. idamthis cosmic manifestation
  4. sarvamall
  5. sa-ātmamincluding Yourself
  6. bhātiis manifested
  7. yathāas
  8. tathāso
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I willing to accept that the Supreme Lord’s energy exceeds what I can explain?

Practice

Reread the translation and offer a short prayer acknowledging the Supreme Lord’s inconceivable energy.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAccept the Lord’s Inconceivable EnergyThis 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 10.14.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories