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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
10.14.5410.14.56

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.55

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

कृष्णमेनमवेहि त्वमात्मानमखिलात्मनाम् ।

जगद्धिताय सोऽप्यत्र देहीवाभाति मायया ॥ ५५ ॥

kṛṣṇam enam avehi tvam

ātmānam akhilātmanām

jagad-dhitāya so ’py atra

dehīvābhāti māyayā

Translation

You should know Kṛṣṇa to be the original Soul of all living entities. For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done this by the strength of His internal potency.

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.

Redirect Your Attraction to Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the original Soul of all living entities. Out of causeless mercy, He appears like an ordinary human being through His internal potency for the universe’s benefit.

  2. 2

    The soul is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore Kṛṣṇa is very dear to every living entity. Forgetting this relationship, the soul mistakenly thinks he is only the body.

  3. 3

    One must redirect one’s attraction to Kṛṣṇa. Devotional service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, brings knowledge and detachment from the world.

Key points from the purport
  • At that time, Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied that everyone’s ātmā, or soul, is very, very dear, especially to all living entities who have accepted material bodies.
  • Everyone’s body is very dear to oneself, and one wants to protect the body by all means because within the body the soul is living.
  • Similarly, the soul, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is very, very dear to all living entities.

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· 2

The purport of SB 10.14.55 quotesSB 1.2.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.7) states: ‘By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.’”

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 20.162

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.55).

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:

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. kṛṣṇamLord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  2. enamthis
  3. avehijust try to understand
  4. tvamyou
  5. ātmānamthe Soul
  6. akhila-ātmanāmof all living entities
  7. jagat-hitāyafor the benefit of the whole universe
  8. saḥHe
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

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

    In this verse: “detachment”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I redirect some of my attraction from bodily concerns toward Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend a minute offering Kṛṣṇa a sincere prayer for attraction to His devotional service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 1.2.7

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.14's connections

Live this todayRedirect Your Attraction to KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.14.55? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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