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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 14: Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa
10.14.1910.14.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.20

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 10.14.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सुरेष्वृषिष्वीश तथैव नृष्वपि

तिर्यक्षु याद:स्वपि तेऽजनस्य ।

जन्मासतां दुर्मदनिग्रहाय

प्रभो विधात: सदनुग्रहाय च ॥ २० ॥

sureṣv ṛṣiṣv īśa tathaiva nṛṣv api

tiryakṣu yādaḥsv api te ’janasya

janmāsatāṁ durmada-nigrahāya

prabho vidhātaḥ sad-anugrahāya ca

Translation

O Lord, O supreme creator and master, You have no material birth, yet to defeat the false pride of the faithless demons and show mercy to Your saintly devotees, You take birth among the demigods, sages, human beings, animals and even the aquatics.

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.

The Eternal Lord Appears to Show Mercy

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa has no material birth, yet He appears among demigods, sages, human beings, animals and aquatics. His plenary expansions are innumerable.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead comes within the universes to defeat false pride and show mercy to His saintly devotees.

  3. 3

    The Lord exists eternally, so His appearance does not mark the beginning of His existence. Like the sun, He is always present but periodically appears to our vision.

Key points from the purport
  • Among the demigods Lord Kṛṣṇa appears in such forms as Vāmanadeva, among the sages as Paraśurāma, among human beings as Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself and as Lord Rāmacandra, and among animals as the boar incarnation.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa appears among the aquatics as Matsya, the gigantic fish.
  • Indeed, the plenary expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are innumerable, as the Lord relentlessly comes down within the universes to smash the false pride of the atheists and show mercy to the saintly devotees.

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. sureṣuamong the demigods
  2. ṛṣiṣuamong the great sages
  3. īśaO Lord
  4. tathāas well as
  5. evaindeed
  6. nṛṣuamong the human beings
  7. apiand
  8. tiryakṣuamong animals
3

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

  • Dainya · Humility

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

    In this verse: “pride”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the example of the sun help you understand the Lord’s appearance?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer thanking Kṛṣṇa for His mercy to His devotees.

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 todayThe Eternal Lord Appears to Show MercyThis 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 10.14.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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