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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 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb
10.2.2910.2.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.2.30

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The demigodssince 10.2.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

त्वय्यम्बुजाक्षाखिलसत्त्वधाम्निसमाधिनावेशितचेतसैके । त्वत्पादपोतेन महत्कृतेनकुर्वन्ति गोवत्सपदं भवाब्धिम् ॥ ३० ॥

tvayy ambujākṣākhila-sattva-dhāmni

samādhināveśita-cetasaike

tvat-pāda-potena mahat-kṛtena

kurvanti govatsa-padaṁ bhavābdhim

Translation

O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one’s meditation on Your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of mahājanas [great saints, sages and devotees]. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Cross ignorance by following great devotees

  1. 1

    The true mission in life is to cross the ocean of ignorance, of repeated birth and death. Association with devotees helps us understand this mission and follow the mahājanas, the great devotees.

  2. 2

    Concentrating the mind on the Lord’s lotus feet and practicing devotional service makes this crossing possible. Hearing about the Lord, glorifying Him or serving Him in friendship are each powerful.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s lotus feet are like a boat that makes this vast ocean as small as a calf’s hoofprint. The path shown by great devotees is available to ordinary people who follow their example.

Key points from the purport
  • The true mission in life is to cross the ocean of nescience, of repeated birth and death.
  • We have to follow in the footsteps of such devotees, for by this one easy process one can cross the great ocean of nescience just as one might cross a small hole created by the hoof of a calf.
  • The process recommended in this verse for crossing the ocean of nescience is easy not only for the devotee but also for common persons who follow the devotee (mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ).

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 3

The purport of SB 10.2.30 quotesSB 6.3.20-21

balir vaiyāsakir vayam. We have to follow in the footsteps of such devotees, for by this one easy process one can cross the great ocean of nescience just as one might cross a small hole created by the hoof of a calf.

The purport of SB 10.2.30 quotesSB 12.13.1

Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ. A yogī is fully absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for he has no other business than to think of the Lord always within the heart.

The purport of SB 10.2.30 quotesSB 10.14.58

His goal is paraṁ padam, or Vaikuṇṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.”

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

Terror → Wonder and relief. The threat of destruction yields to divine appearance.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 10: Threat from Kaṁsa and Kṛṣṇa's birth. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When a devotee fully surrenders at the lotus feet of the Lord, he is completely liberated from the fear of material existence. By explaining why the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends, the prayers of the demigods clearly confirm the Lord’s statement in Bhagavad-gītā (4.7):
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.2
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvayiin You
  2. ambuja-akṣaO lotus-eyed Lord
  3. akhila-sattva-dhāmniwho are the original cause of all existence, from whom everything emanates and in whom all potencies reside
  4. samādhināby constant meditation and complete absorption (in thoughts of You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead)
  5. āveśitafully absorbed, fully engaged
  6. cetasābut by such a mentality
  7. ekethe one process of always thinking of Your lotus feet
  8. tvat-pāda-potenaby boarding such a boat as Your lotus feet
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.2

    In this verse: “devotees”, “devotional service”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.2

    In this verse: “hearing”, “glorifying”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.2

    In this verse: “death”

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 I give more attention to the Lord rather than let material concerns carry my mind away?

Practice

Spend five minutes hearing or reading about the Lord, gently keeping your attention on Him.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCross ignorance by following great devoteesThis 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 10.2.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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