1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
10.14.5310.14.55

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.54

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.14.50inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तस्मात् प्रियतम: स्वात्मा सर्वेषामपि देहिनाम् ।

तदर्थमेव सकलं जगदेतच्चराचरम् ॥ ५४ ॥

tasmāt priyatamaḥ svātmā

sarveṣām api dehinām

tad-artham eva sakalaṁ

jagad etac carācaram

Translation

Therefore it is his own self that is most dear to every embodied living being, and it is simply for the satisfaction of this self that the whole material creation of moving and nonmoving entities exists.

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.

Creation Serves the Self’s Satisfaction

  1. 1

    The self is most dear to every embodied living being.

  2. 2

    The whole material creation, with its moving and nonmoving entities, exists for the satisfaction of this self.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that moving and nonmoving entities include animals and trees. The terms can also refer to family and pets, or houses and household belongings.

Key points from the purport
  • The word carācaram indicates moving living entities, such as animals, and nonmoving living entities, such as trees.
  • Or the word may also refer to moving possessions, such as one’s family and pets, and nonmoving possessions, such as one’s house and household paraphernalia.

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:

Finally, Brahmā offered his whole self at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord and, praising Him again and again, circumambulated Him and took his leave. Lord Kṛṣṇa then gathered the animals Brahmā stole and led them to the place on the Yamunā’s bank where the cowherd boys had been taking lunch.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasmāttherefore
  2. priya-tamaḥmost dear
  3. sva-ātmāone’s own self
  4. sarveṣāmfor all
  5. apiindeed
  6. dehināmembodied living beings
  7. tat-arthamfor the sake of it
  8. evacertainly
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”, “household”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How do the things around me reveal my desire for the self’s satisfaction?

Practice

Look at one household belonging and identify the satisfaction you seek through it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCreation Serves the Self’s SatisfactionThis 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 10.14.54? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories