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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 10.14.6

Who is speaking and story frame

तथापि भूमन्महिमागुणस्य ते

विबोद्धुमर्हत्यमलान्तरात्मभि: ।

अविक्रियात् स्वानुभवादरूपतो

ह्यनन्यबोध्यात्मतया न चान्यथा ॥ ६ ॥

tathāpi bhūman mahimāguṇasya te

viboddhum arhaty amalāntar-ātmabhiḥ

avikriyāt svānubhavād arūpato

hy ananya-bodhyātmatayā na cānyathā

Translation

Nondevotees, however, cannot realize You in Your full personal feature. Nevertheless, it may be possible for them to realize Your expansion as the impersonal Supreme by cultivating direct perception of the Self within the heart. But they can do this only by purifying their mind and senses of all conceptions of material distinctions and all attachment to material sense objects. Only in this way will Your impersonal feature manifest itself to them.

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.

Devotees’ Mercy Reveals the Personal Lord

  1. 1

    God is understood progressively as the impersonal effulgence, the localized Supersoul and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa is beyond material qualities, not without transcendental qualities.

  2. 2

    Even impersonal realization requires purification of the mind and senses from material distinctions and attachments. Yoga and philosophical speculation are virtually useless for understanding the Lord’s unlimited personal qualities.

  3. 3

    Realizing God’s personal feature begins through the mercy of His pure devotees or association with the Lord Himself. This process culminates in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the supreme perfection of knowledge.

Key points from the purport
  • It is difficult for conditioned souls to understand all the transcendental features of the Supreme Lord.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental existence is beyond the qualities of material nature.
  • Thus here the Lord is referred to as aguṇasya, without material qualities.

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 10.14.6 quotesSB 1.2.11

As confirmed in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.11): brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate.

Quoted in the purport ofSB 6.4.26

In this regard Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes the following prayer by Lord Brahmā from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.6): tathāpi bhūman mahimāguṇasya te viboddhum arhaty amalāntar-ātmabhiḥ.

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:

The mystery of the Personality of Godhead, who is the reservoir of unlimited spiritual qualities, is inconceivable; it is even more difficult to understand than the impersonal Supreme. Thus only by the mercy of God can one understand His glories.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathā apinevertheless
  2. bhūmanO limitless one
  3. mahimāthe potency
  4. aguṇasyaof Him who has no material qualities
  5. teof You
  6. viboddhumto understand
  7. arhatione is able
  8. amalaspotless
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: “attachment”, “material”, “attachments”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “purifying”, “purification”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “philosophical”, “understanding”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the distinction between material and transcendental qualities shape your understanding of Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Reread the purport’s final paragraph, reflecting on the importance of receiving guidance from the Lord’s pure devotees.

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 1.2.11

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

Live this todayDevotees’ Mercy Reveals the Personal LordThis 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 10.14.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.