1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

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
10.16.42-4310.16.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.16.44

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

नम: प्रमाणमूलाय कवये शास्त्रयोनये ।

प्रवृत्ताय निवृत्ताय निगमाय नमो नम: ॥ ४४ ॥

namaḥ pramāṇa-mūlāya

kavaye śāstra-yonaye

pravṛttāya nivṛttāya

nigamāya namo namaḥ

Translation

We offer our obeisances again and again to You, who are the basis of all authoritative evidence, who are the author and ultimate source of the revealed scriptures, and who have manifested Yourself in those Vedic literatures encouraging sense gratification as well as in those encouraging renunciation of the material world.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of Revealed Knowledge

  1. 1

    Perception, understanding, persuasion and the transmission of evidence all take place through the Supreme Lord’s potencies.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa is the greatest scholar. He manifests scriptures in the hearts of devotees like Brahmā and Nārada and appears as Vedavyāsa, the compiler of Vedic knowledge.

  3. 3

    The Lord provides scriptures encouraging both sense gratification and renunciation. These gradually guide conditioned souls back into the kingdom of God.

Key points from the purport
  • If we did not have the powers of perception and cognition, evidence could not be transmitted, and if we had no tendency to believe in particular modes of evidence, persuasion could not take place.
  • All of these processes — perception, cognition, persuasion and transmission — take place through the various potencies of the Supreme Lord.
  • In multifarious ways the Lord generates a variety of religious scriptures, which gradually bring the conditioned souls through the various phases of reentry into the kingdom of God.

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:

But Lord Balarāma checked them, knowing well the power of Kṛṣṇa. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa, seeing how disturbed His friends and relatives had become, expanded His body greatly and forced the serpent to loosen his grip and release Him.
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. pramāṇaof authoritative evidence
  3. mūlāyato the basis
  4. kavayeto the author
  5. śāstraof the revealed scripture
  6. yonayeto the source
  7. pravṛttāyawhich encourages sense gratification
  8. nivṛttāyawhich encourages renunciation
  9. nigamāyato Him who is the origin of both kinds of scripture
  10. namaḥ namaḥrepeated obeisances
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “sense gratification”, “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understanding”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “devotees”

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 can remembering the divine source of scripture make my study more respectful?

Practice

Before studying today, offer obeisances to Kṛṣṇa as the source of revealed knowledge.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Source of Revealed KnowledgeThis 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 10.16.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories