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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.34

Who is speaking and story frame

तद् भूरिभाग्यमिह जन्म किमप्यटव्यां

यद् गोकुलेऽपि कतमाङ्‍‍घ्रिरजोऽभिषेकम् ।

यज्जीवितं तु निखिलं भगवान् मुकुन्द-

स्त्वद्यापि यत्पदरज: श्रुतिमृग्यमेव ॥ ३४ ॥

tad bhūri-bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāṁ

yad gokule ’pi katamāṅghri-rajo-’bhiṣekam

yaj-jīvitaṁ tu nikhilaṁ bhagavān mukundas

tv adyāpi yat-pada-rajaḥ śruti-mṛgyam eva

Translation

My greatest possible good fortune would be to take any birth whatever in this forest of Gokula and have my head bathed by the dust falling from the lotus feet of any of its residents. Their entire life and soul is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda, the dust of whose lotus feet is still being searched for in the Vedic mantras.

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.

Seek the Mercy of the Lord’s Devotees

  1. 1

    Brahmā desires even the birth of a tiny blade of grass in Vṛndāvana so that its holy residents may bless him with the dust of their feet.

  2. 2

    Rather than aspiring directly for the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s feet, Brahmā seeks the mercy of His devotees. Their entire life and soul is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda.

  3. 3

    The devotees attain their exalted position through unalloyed devotion and love, not through a proud material process of personal improvement.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse indicates that Lord Brahmā desires to take birth even as the smallest blade of grass in Vṛndāvana so that the holy residents of the Lord’s abode may walk upon his head and bless him with the dust of their feet.
  • Being realistic, Lord Brahmā does not aspire to directly achieve the dust of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s feet; rather, he aspires for the mercy of the Lord’s devotees.
  • In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals the mind of Brahmā as follows: “But if I am not so fortunate to take birth within the forest of Vṛndāvana, I beg to be allowed to take birth outside the immediate area of Vṛndāvana so that when the devotees go out they will walk over me.

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:

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. Indeed, the homes of the residents of Vṛndāvana are not prisons of material existence but rather abodes envied even by the jñānīs and yogīs.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tatthat
  2. bhūri-bhāgyamthe greatest good fortune
  3. ihahere
  4. janmathe birth
  5. kim apiany whatsoever
  6. aṭavyāmin the forest (of Vṛndāvana)
  7. yatwhich
  8. gokulein Gokula
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotion”, “devotees”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “mercy”, “bless”

  • Dainya · Humility

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

    In this verse: “proud”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I seeking spiritual advancement with humility and appreciation for the Lord’s devotees?

Practice

Offer a humble prayer for the mercy of the Lord’s devotees and the desire to serve without pride.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeek the Mercy of the Lord’s DevoteesThis 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 10.14.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.