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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 10.14.18

Who is speaking and story frame

अद्यैव त्वद‍ृतेऽस्य किं मम न ते मायात्वमादर्शित-

मेकोऽसि प्रथमं ततो व्रजसुहृद्वत्सा: समस्ता अपि ।

तावन्तोऽसि चतुर्भुजास्तदखिलै: साकं मयोपासिता-

स्तावन्त्येव जगन्त्यभूस्तदमितं ब्रह्माद्वयं शिष्यते ॥ १८ ॥

adyaiva tvad ṛte ’sya kiṁ mama na te māyātvam ādarśitam

eko ’si prathamaṁ tato vraja-suhṛd-vatsāḥ samastā api

tāvanto ’si catur-bhujās tad akhilaiḥ sākaṁ mayopāsitās

tāvanty eva jaganty abhūs tad amitaṁ brahmādvayaṁ śiṣyate

Translation

Have You not shown me today that both You Yourself and everything within this creation are manifestations of Your inconceivable potency? First You appeared alone, and then You manifested Yourself as all of Vṛndāvana’s calves and cowherd boys, Your friends. Next You appeared as an equal number of four-handed Viṣṇu forms, who were worshiped by all living beings, including me, and after that You appeared as an equal number of complete universes. Finally, You have now returned to Your unlimited form as the Supreme Absolute Truth, one without a second.

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.

Everything Exists Through Kṛṣṇa’s Inconceivable Potency

  1. 1

    Everything that exists is an expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All existence is ultimately part and parcel of His spiritual existence.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa manifested Himself as calves, cowherd boys, four-handed Viṣṇu forms and complete universes. He then again appeared as the Supreme Absolute Truth, one without a second.

  3. 3

    By Kṛṣṇa’s causeless mercy, Brahmā personally experienced that all existence is the Lord’s potency and is nondifferent from Him.

Key points from the purport
  • As stated in the Vedic literature, sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma: everything that exists is an expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Thus everything is ultimately part and parcel of the Lord’s spiritual existence.
  • By Lord Kṛṣṇa’s causeless mercy, Lord Brahmā personally experienced that all existence, being the potency of God, is nondifferent from Him.

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:

Brahmā then glorified the inconceivable opulence of the Personality of Godhead and described the ways in which Brahmā and Śiva differ from Lord Viṣṇu, the reason for the Supreme Lord’s appearance in various species of demigods, animals and so on, the eternal nature of the pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, and the temporality of the material world. By knowing the Supreme Personality in truth, the individual spirit soul can achieve liberation from bondage.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. adyatoday
  2. evajust
  3. tvat ṛteapart from You
  4. asyaof this universe
  5. kimwhat
  6. mamato me
  7. nanot
  8. teby You
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “friends”, “cowherd boys”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “worshiped”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might remembering that everything is Kṛṣṇa’s potency change the way you see your surroundings?

Practice

Look at one thing around you and pause to remember that its existence depends on Kṛṣṇa’s potency.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEverything Exists Through Kṛṣṇa’s Inconceivable PotencyThis 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 10.14.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.