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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
10.14.2810.14.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.29

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

अथापि ते देव पदाम्बुजद्वय-

प्रसादलेशानुगृहीत एव हि ।

जानाति तत्त्वं भगवन् महिम्नो

न चान्य एकोऽपि चिरं विचिन्वन् ॥ २९ ॥

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-

prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi

jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno

na cānya eko ’pi ciraṁ vicinvan

Translation

My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years.

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 Is Known Through His Mercy

  1. 1

    Even a slight trace of the mercy of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet enables one to understand His greatness. Speculation alone cannot reveal the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    The conditioned soul seeks happiness through sense gratification and knowledge through mental speculation. Both processes ultimately lead to disappointment and hopelessness.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is eager to bestow His mercy. Surrender to His lotus feet opens the way to real bliss and knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa is very eager to bestow His mercy upon the conditioned living beings, who are uselessly struggling with the Lord’s illusory energy, Māyā.
  • The conditioned soul struggles for happiness through sense gratification and for knowledge through mental speculation.
  • If the conditioned soul surrenders to the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa and thus acquires even a trace of His causeless mercy, the whole situation is changed, and the living entity can begin his real life of bliss and knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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· 5

Quoted in the purport ofSB 4.29.42-44

na cānya eko ’pi ciraṁ vicinvan. The speculators, the jñānīs, go on speculating about the Supreme Personality of Godhead for many, many hundreds of thousands of years, but unless one is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot understand His supreme glories.

Quoted in the purport ofSB 6.3.26

In this regard Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes the following verse from the prayers of Lord Brahmā: The purport is that even though one is a very learned scholar of the Vedic śāstras, he may be completely unaware of the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His name, fame, qualities and so forth, whereas one who is not…

Quoted in the purport ofSB 6.4.34

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.29): “My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality.

Quoted in the purport ofSB 9.8.21

But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years.”

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.2.35

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.29): Only by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can one understand Him.

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:

There is simply no way to understand the truth of the Personality of Godhead without His mercy. Having established this conclusion, Lord Brahmā analyzed the great good fortune of the residents of Vraja and then personally prayed to be born there even as a blade of grass, a bush or a creeper.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athatherefore
  2. apiindeed
  3. teYour
  4. devamy Lord
  5. pada-ambuja-dvayaof the two lotus feet
  6. prasādaof the mercy
  7. leśaby only a trace
  8. anugṛhītaḥfavored
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “mercy”, “favored”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understand”, “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “sense gratification”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I approaching Kṛṣṇa mainly through speculation, or with a desire to surrender and receive His mercy?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer asking Kṛṣṇa for His mercy and help in surrendering to His lotus feet.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Known Through His 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 10.14.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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