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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 14: Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa
10.14.110.14.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.2

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

अस्यापि देव वपुषो मदनुग्रहस्य

स्वेच्छामयस्य न तु भूतमयस्य कोऽपि ।

नेशे महि त्ववसितुं मनसान्तरेण

साक्षात्तवैव किमुतात्मसुखानुभूते: ॥ २ ॥

asyāpi deva vapuṣo mad-anugrahasya

svecchā-mayasya na tu bhūta-mayasya ko ’pi

neśe mahi tv avasituṁ manasāntareṇa

sākṣāt tavaiva kim utātma-sukhānubhūteḥ

Translation

My dear Lord, neither I nor anyone else can estimate the potency of this transcendental body of Yours, which has shown such mercy to me and which appears just to fulfill the desires of Your pure devotees. Although my mind is completely withdrawn from material affairs, I cannot understand Your personal form. How, then, could I possibly understand the happiness You experience within Yourself?

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Personal Form Exceeds Speculation

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa appears as a cowherd child for the benefit of His devotees. Even after Brahmā’s offense, the Lord humbled him and mercifully gave him His personal audience.

  2. 2

    Even Brahmā could not estimate the spiritual potency of Kṛṣṇa’s childlike body. The Lord’s personal form and inner happiness cannot be understood through speculative knowledge.

  3. 3

    The two-armed form of Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, is original and supreme among the Lord’s transcendental forms. Understanding even a little of His transcendental pastimes makes one eligible to enter the kingdom of God.

Key points from the purport
  • And if I cannot estimate the spiritual potency of Your childlike body, then what can I understand about Your transcendental pastimes?
  • Therefore, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, anyone who can understand a little of the transcendental pastimes, appearance and disappearance of the Lord immediately becomes eligible to enter the kingdom of God after quitting the material body.
  • Yet Brahmā could not understand the transcendental body of Lord Kṛṣṇa, because it is beyond the reach of ordinary Vedic knowledge.

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:

Thinking the personal form of Lord Kṛṣṇa illusory, fools reject His lotus feet and look elsewhere to find the Supreme Self. But the futility of their search is the obvious proof of their foolishness.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. asyaof this
  2. apieven
  3. devaO Lord
  4. vapuṣaḥthe body
  5. mat-anugrahasyawhich has shown mercy to me
  6. sva-icchā-mayasyawhich appears in response to the desires of Your pure devotees
  7. nanot
  8. tuon the other hand
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “understand”, “knowledge”, “understanding”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “mercy”, “mercifully”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “humbled”, “offense”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might recognizing the limits of your understanding help you approach Kṛṣṇa with humility?

Practice

Reread Brahmā’s admission that he cannot understand the Lord’s personal form, and offer a brief prayer acknowledging Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.14's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Personal Form Exceeds SpeculationThis 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 10.14.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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