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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
10.14.2410.14.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.25

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

आत्मानमेवात्मतयाविजानतां

तेनैव जातं निखिलं प्रपञ्चितम् ।

ज्ञानेन भूयोऽपि च तत् प्रलीयते

रज्ज्वामहेर्भोगभवाभवौ यथा ॥ २५ ॥

ātmānam evātmatayāvijānatāṁ

tenaiva jātaṁ nikhilaṁ prapañcitam

jñānena bhūyo ’pi ca tat pralīyate

rajjvām aher bhoga-bhavābhavau yathā

Translation

A person who mistakes a rope for a snake becomes fearful, but he then gives up his fear upon realizing that the so-called snake does not exist. Similarly, for those who fail to recognize You as the Supreme Soul of all souls, the expansive illusory material existence arises, but knowledge of You at once causes it to subside.

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.

Knowledge of Kṛṣṇa Dispels Illusion and Fear

  1. 1

    Mistaking a rope for a snake produces fear; recognizing the rope removes that fear. Similarly, failing to recognize Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Soul gives rise to illusory material existence.

  2. 2

    Those submerged in material illusion imagine material existence to be unlimited. Yet material nature is not ultimate reality, and studying matter alone cannot answer ultimate questions.

  3. 3

    Life covered by ignorance is fearful because everything within it is born and dies. This dark, snakelike existence disappears when one opens one’s eyes to the light of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Key points from the purport
  • Those submerged in illusion see material existence as infinite, just as one who is submerged in water sees only water all around him.
  • Since material life is always covered by the darkness of ignorance, every conditioned soul is fearful.
  • The material nature is not ultimate reality, and thus analysis of matter can never provide answers to ultimate questions.

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:

By knowing the Supreme Personality in truth, the individual spirit soul can achieve liberation from bondage. In actuality, however, both liberation and bondage are unreal, for it is only from the living entity’s conditioned outlook that his bondage and liberation are produced.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ātmānamYourself
  2. evaindeed
  3. ātmatayāas the Supreme Soul
  4. avijānatāmfor those who do not understand
  5. tenaby that
  6. evaalone
  7. jātamis generated
  8. nikhilamthe entire
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”, “illusion”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “fearful”, “fear”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the rope-and-snake example help you see the connection between ignorance and fear?

Practice

Spend one minute reflecting on the translation’s description of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Soul of all souls.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKnowledge of Kṛṣṇa Dispels Illusion and FearThis 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 10.14.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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