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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya
10.16.3910.16.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.16.40

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The wives of the Kāliya serpentsince 10.16.33inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ज्ञानविज्ञाननीधये ब्रह्मणेऽनन्तशक्तये ।

अगुणायाविकाराय नमस्ते प्राकृताय च ॥ ४० ॥

jñāna-vijñāna-nīdhaye

brahmaṇe ’nanta-śaktaye

aguṇāyāvikārāya

namas te prākṛtāya ca

Translation

Obeisances unto You, the Absolute Truth, who are the reservoir of all transcendental consciousness and potency and the possessor of unlimited energies. Although completely free of material qualities and transformations, You are the prime mover of material nature.

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.

Surrender Deepens Understanding of Reality

  1. 1

    The Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the ocean of all knowledge and consciousness. His energies are unlimited.

  2. 2

    Although He moves material nature, He is free from material qualities and transformations.

  3. 3

    Surrender to the Supreme Lord does not mean abandoning rational understanding. He is the perfection of all sciences and all forms of knowledge.

Key points from the purport
  • Those who consider themselves intellectual, philosophic or rational should carefully note here that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the ocean of all knowledge and consciousness.
  • Thus surrendering unto the Supreme Lord does not entail giving up the method of rationally comprehending reality.
  • The Supreme Lord is the perfection of all sciences and all forms of knowledge, and only envious and trivial minds would deny this obvious fact.

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. jñānaof consciousness
  2. vijñānaand spiritual potency
  3. nidhayeto the ocean
  4. brahmaṇeto the Absolute Truth
  5. ananta-śaktayewhose potencies are unlimited
  6. aguṇāyato Him who is never affected by the qualities of matter
  7. avikārāyawho does not undergo any material transformation
  8. namaḥobeisances
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “absolute truth”, “knowledge”, “understanding”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “free from”

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

Do I see surrender to Kṛṣṇa as an aid to understanding reality more deeply?

Practice

Write down one thoughtful question about this verse and reread the purport while considering it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySurrender Deepens Understanding of RealityThis 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 10.16.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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