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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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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 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya
10.16.4010.16.42-43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.16.41

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

कालाय कालनाभाय कालावयवसाक्षिणे ।

विश्वाय तदुपद्रष्ट्रे तत्कर्त्रे विश्वहेतवे ॥ ४१ ॥

kālāya kāla-nābhāya

kālāvayava-sākṣiṇe

viśvāya tad-upadraṣṭre

tat-kartre viśva-hetave

Translation

Obeisances unto You, who are time itself, the shelter of time and the witness of time in all its phases. You are the universe, and also its separate observer. You are its creator, and also the totality of all its causes.

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.

The Supreme Lord Is Beyond Time’s Limits

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is time itself, the shelter of time, and the witness of all its phases.

  2. 2

    Although He appears in different incarnations, He can never be limited by time.

  3. 3

    He is the universe and also its separate observer. He is its creator and the totality of its causes.

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Personality of Godhead, although appearing in different incarnations, can never be limited by time, since He is time itself, the shelter of time, and the witness of time in all its phases.

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. kālāyaunto time
  2. kāla-nābhāyaunto Him who is the shelter of time
  3. kāla-avayavaof the various phases of time
  4. sākṣiṇeto the witness
  5. viśvāyato the form of the universe
  6. tad-upadraṣṭreto the observer of it
  7. tat-kartreto the creator of it
  8. viśvaof the universe
  9. hetaveto the total 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”

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 remembering that Kṛṣṇa is never limited by time affect my understanding of Him?

Practice

Pause once today to offer obeisances to Kṛṣṇa as the shelter and witness of time.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Is Beyond Time’s LimitsThis 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 10.16.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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