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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb
10.2.3410.2.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.2.35

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

सत्त्वं न चेद्धातरिदं निजं भवेद्

विज्ञानमज्ञानभिदापमार्जनम् ।

गुणप्रकाशैरनुमीयते भवान्

प्रकाशते यस्य च येन वा गुण: ॥ ३५ ॥

sattvaṁ na ced dhātar idaṁ nijaṁ bhaved

vijñānam ajñāna-bhidāpamārjanam

guṇa-prakāśair anumīyate bhavān

prakāśate yasya ca yena vā guṇaḥ

Translation

O Lord, cause of all causes, if Your transcendental body were not beyond the modes of material nature, one could not understand the difference between matter and transcendence. Only by Your presence can one understand the transcendental nature of Your Lordship, who are the controller of material nature. Your transcendental nature is very difficult to understand unless one is influenced by the presence of Your transcendental form.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Understand Kṛṣṇa Through Mercy and Devotion

  1. 1

    Only by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can one understand Him. Speculation under the modes of material nature cannot reveal His transcendental nature.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa’s form is not material, nor does it belong to the material mode of goodness. His form belongs to the transcendental, eternal status of bliss and knowledge.

  3. 3

    Transcendental knowledge must be received through disciplic succession rather than manufactured through imagination. Following the principles of devotional service and worshiping the Deity awaken the devotee’s transcendental nature and attachment to the Lord’s lotus feet.

Key points from the purport
  • Unless one is situated in transcendence, one cannot understand the transcendental nature of the Lord.
  • Devotees who awaken their transcendental nature in the presence of the Lord and who follow the rules and regulations of devotional service can understand Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Rāmacandra and other incarnations, who are not of this material world but who come from the spiritual world for the benefit of people in general.
  • Actually the form of Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa is transcendental to any material idea.

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 10.2.35 quotesSB 10.14.29

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.29): Only by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can one understand Him.

The purport of SB 10.2.35 quotesBG 18.55

Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. Devotees who awaken their transcendental nature in the presence of the Lord and who follow the rules and regulations of devotional service can understand Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Rāmacandra and other incarnations, who are not of this material world but who come from the spiritual world for the benefit of people in general.

The purport of SB 10.2.35 quotesBG 7.25

As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.25), nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya.

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:

The prayers of the demigods glorify and exalt devotees and explain the fate of persons who superficially consider themselves liberated from the conditions of material nature. A devotee is always safe.
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. sattvamśuddha-sattva, transcendental
  2. nanot
  3. cetif
  4. dhātaḥO reservoir of all energies, cause of all causes
  5. idamthis
  6. nijampersonal, spiritual
  7. bhavetcould have been
  8. vijñānamtranscendental knowledge
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee’s”, “worshiping”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.2

    In this verse: “material”, “attachment”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.2

    In this verse: “understand”, “knowledge”

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

Am I seeking to understand Kṛṣṇa through received knowledge and devotional service, or mainly through my own imagination?

Practice

Reread the passage describing Kṛṣṇa’s eternal form, and write down one teaching to remember instead of imagining His form.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.2's connections

Live this todayUnderstand Kṛṣṇa Through Mercy and DevotionThis 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 10.2.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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