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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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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
10.14.2010.14.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.21

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

को वेत्ति भूमन् भगवन् परात्मन्

योगेश्वरोतीर्भवतस्त्रिलोक्याम् ।

क्‍व वा कथं वा कति वा कदेति

विस्तारयन्क्रीडसि योगमायाम् ॥ २१ ॥

ko vetti bhūman bhagavan parātman

yogeśvarotīr bhavatas tri-lokyām

kva vā kathaṁ vā kati vā kadeti

vistārayan krīḍasi yoga-māyām

Translation

O supreme great one! O Supreme Personality of Godhead! O Supersoul, master of all mystic power! Your pastimes are taking place continuously in these three worlds, but who can estimate where, how and when You are employing Your spiritual energy and performing these innumerable pastimes? No one can understand the mystery of how Your spiritual energy acts.

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.

One Supreme Lord, Many Spiritual Manifestations

  1. 1

    The Lord’s incarnations do not degrade Him. His activities take place through His spiritual potency, whose workings no conditioned soul can fully understand.

  2. 2

    He is Bhagavān, the supremely beautiful personality enjoying loving pastimes in His abode. He is also Paramātmā, the all-pervading Supersoul who witnesses and sanctions the activities of conditioned souls.

  3. 3

    As the master of all mystic potencies, the one Supreme Lord manifests His greatness in many ways. Pride in bodily identity and material intelligence carries one away from knowledge of Him.

Key points from the purport
  • As Brahmā clarifies here, no conditioned soul can understand the transcendental nature of the Lord’s activities, which He enacts through His spiritual potency.
  • Although the Lord is bhūman, the supremely great one, He is still Bhagavān, the supremely beautiful personality exhibiting pastimes of love in His own abode.
  • The Absolute Truth is the master of all mystic potencies, and although He is one and supreme, He manifests His greatness and opulence in many different ways.

The purport'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

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 21.9

This verse is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.21).

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 14: Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The mystery of the Personality of Godhead, who is the reservoir of unlimited spiritual qualities, is inconceivable; it is even more difficult to understand than the impersonal Supreme. Thus only by the mercy of God can one understand His glories.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kaḥwho
  2. vettiknows
  3. bhūmanO supreme great one
  4. bhagavanO Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. para-ātmanO Supreme Soul
  6. yoga-īśvaraO master of mystic power
  7. ūtīḥthe pastimes
  8. bhavataḥof Your Lordship
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”

  • 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”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where might pride in your own understanding make it harder to learn about Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once, acknowledging that Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual potency exceeds your ability to fully explain it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOne Supreme Lord, Many Spiritual ManifestationsThis 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 10.14.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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