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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
10.14.3510.14.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.36

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 10.14.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तावद् रागादय: स्तेनास्तावत् कारागृहं गृहम् ।

तावन्मोहोऽङ्‍‍‍‍‍घ्रिनिगडो यावत् कृष्ण न ते जना: ॥ ३६ ॥

tāvad rāgādayaḥ stenās

tāvat kārā-gṛhaṁ gṛham

tāvan moho ’ṅghri-nigaḍo

yāvat kṛṣṇa na te janāḥ

Translation

My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, until people become Your devotees, their material attachments and desires remain thieves, their homes remain prisons, and their affectionate feelings for their family members remain foot-shackles.

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.

Devotion Transforms Household Life

  1. 1

    Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, material attachments act as thieves, homes as prisons and family affection as shackles.

  2. 2

    The residents of Vṛndāvana engage ordinary activities, such as cooking and rearing children, intensely in loving service to Kṛṣṇa. Thus they live on the most exalted platform of liberated life.

  3. 3

    Engaging the family in the Lord’s loving service makes its maintenance part of spiritual duty. Pure service to the original Personality of Godhead, free from material desire and speculation, creates the atmosphere of Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma.

Key points from the purport
  • However, all these activities are intensely engaged in the loving service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • The residents of Vṛndāvana perform all activities in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus exist on the most exalted platform of liberated life.
  • In conclusion, by studying the extraordinary status of the residents of Vṛndāvana, we can see that the essential quality of their lives is pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness — the rendering of loving service to the Lord without a trace of material desire or mental speculation.

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:

Indeed, the homes of the residents of Vṛndāvana are not prisons of material existence but rather abodes envied even by the jñānīs and yogīs. On the other hand, any home without a connection to Lord Kṛṣṇa is in fact a prison cell of material existence.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tāvatfor that long
  2. rāga-ādayaḥmaterial attachment and so on
  3. stenāḥthieves
  4. tāvatfor that long
  5. kārā-gṛhama prison
  6. gṛhamone’s home
  7. tāvatfor that long
  8. mohaḥthe bewilderment of family affection
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “attachments”, “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “free from”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can one ordinary household responsibility become loving service to Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Choose one household task today and perform it consciously as service to Kṛṣṇa rather than merely for personal satisfaction.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotion Transforms Household LifeThis 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.

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