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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 10.16.39

Who is speaking and story frame

नमस्तुभ्यं भगवते पुरुषाय महात्मने ।

भूतावासाय भूताय पराय परमात्मने ॥ ३९ ॥

namas tubhyaṁ bhagavate

puruṣāya mahātmane

bhūtāvāsāya bhūtāya

parāya paramātmane

Translation

We offer our obeisances unto You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although present in the hearts of all living beings as the Supersoul, You are all-pervasive. Although the original shelter of all created material elements, You exist prior to their creation. And although the cause of everything, You are transcendental to all material cause and effect, being the Supreme Soul.

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.

Honor the Supreme Soul Within All

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, present in every heart as the Supersoul and also all-pervasive.

  2. 2

    He shelters the material elements and exists before their creation. Although the cause of everything, He remains beyond material cause and effect.

  3. 3

    The purport recommends chanting this verse’s beautiful Sanskrit poetry aloud for the transcendental pleasure of both reciter and hearer.

Key points from the purport
  • The beautiful Sanskrit poetry of this verse should be chanted out loud for the transcendental pleasure of the reciter and the hearer.

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 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Vomiting blood from his mouths, Kāliya finally understood that Kṛṣṇa was the primeval personality, Lord Nārāyaṇa, the spiritual master of all moving and nonmoving creatures, and he took shelter of Him. Seeing how very weary Kāliya had become, his wives, the Nāgapatnīs, bowed down at Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. namaḥobeisances
  2. tubhyamto You
  3. bhagavatethe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. puruṣāyawho are present within as the Supersoul
  5. mahā-ātmanewho are all-pervasive
  6. bhūta-āvāsāyawho are the shelter of the material elements (beginning with the ethereal sky)
  7. bhūtāyawho exist even prior to the creation
  8. parāyato the supreme cause
  9. parama-ātmanewho are beyond all material cause
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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “shelter”, “shelters”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “chanting”, “reciter”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that Kṛṣṇa is present in every heart shape my respect for others?

Practice

Read this prayer aloud today, offering its obeisances to Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHonor the Supreme Soul Within AllThis 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 10.16.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.