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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
10.14.4310.14.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.44

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.14.41inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

किं किं न विस्मरन्तीह मायामोहितचेतस: ।

यन्मोहितं जगत् सर्वमभीक्ष्णं विस्मृतात्मकम् ॥ ४४ ॥

kiṁ kiṁ na vismarantīha

māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ

yan-mohitaṁ jagat sarvam

abhīkṣṇaṁ vismṛtātmakam

Translation

What indeed is not forgotten by those whose minds are bewildered by the Lord’s illusory potency? By that power of Māyā, this entire universe remains in perpetual bewilderment, and in this atmosphere of forgetfulness no one can understand his own identity.

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.

Illusion Makes Us Forget Our Identity

  1. 1

    The entire universe is bewildered by the Lord’s illusory potency. Even great demigods such as Indra and Brahmā are not exempt from forgetfulness.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa exercised His internal illusory potency over His cowherd friends and calves. Their inability to remember their position for a year is therefore not astonishing.

  3. 3

    By the Lord’s external illusory potency, conditioned souls forget their own existence for billions of years. They continue transmigrating through the material world, described as a kingdom of ignorance.

Key points from the purport
  • It is clearly stated here that the entire universe is bewildered.
  • Since Lord Kṛṣṇa exercised His internal illusory potency over His cowherd boyfriends and calves, it is not at all astonishing that for one year they could not remember their position.
  • Indeed, by the Lord’s external illusory potency the conditioned souls forget their existence not only for one year but for many billions and billions of years as they transmigrate throughout the kingdom of ignorance called the material world.

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 the power of Kṛṣṇa’s illusory energy, they were not at all aware of what had happened. Thus when Kṛṣṇa arrived with the calves, the boys told Him, “You’ve returned so quickly!
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kim kimwhat indeed
  2. na vismarantipersons do not forget
  3. ihain this world
  4. māyā-mohitabewildered by illusion
  5. cetasaḥwhose minds
  6. yatby which
  7. mohitambewildered
  8. jagatthe world
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: “māyā”, “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understand”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “friends”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that even great demigods can forget encourage humility in me?

Practice

Read the translation slowly and pause at “his own identity” to reflect on the limits of your present self-understanding.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayIllusion Makes Us Forget Our IdentityThis 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 10.14.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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