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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
10.2.3610.2.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.2.37

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

श‍ृण्वन् गृणन् संस्मरयंश्च चिन्तयन्

नामानि रूपाणि च मङ्गलानि ते ।

क्रियासु यस्त्वच्चरणारविन्दयो-

राविष्टचेता न भवाय कल्पते ॥ ३७ ॥

śṛṇvan gṛṇan saṁsmarayaṁś ca cintayan

nāmāni rūpāṇi ca maṅgalāni te

kriyāsu yas tvac-caraṇāravindayor

āviṣṭa-cetā na bhavāya kalpate

Translation

Even while engaged in various activities, devotees whose minds are completely absorbed at Your lotus feet, and who constantly hear, chant, contemplate and cause others to remember Your transcendental names and forms, are always on the transcendental platform, and thus they can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Stay Absorbed in Devotional Service

  1. 1

    One who dedicates activities, mind and words to the Lord’s service can be liberated in any condition of life. Even in a material body, such a devotee is transcendentally situated.

  2. 2

    Hearing is the most important process of devotional service. We should hear from pure devotees, the spiritual master and Vedic literature, rather than from nondevotees.

  3. 3

    Practical service, such as distributing Kṛṣṇa literature, keeps the mind absorbed in the Lord’s lotus feet. Through hearing, chanting and remembering, devotees can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Even if a devotee, by the supreme will of the Lord, takes birth in this material world, he continues his devotional service.
  • Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī therefore recommends, śrī-guru-padāśrayaḥ: one must seek shelter at the lotus feet of a pure devotee who can be one’s guru.
  • One should engage in practical service to the Lord.

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 10.2.37 quotesSB 6.17.28

Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati: because a devotee is engaged in transcendental activities, he is not afraid of being materially embodied.

The purport of SB 10.2.37 quotesBG 9.14

Bhagavad-gītā (9.14) therefore recommends that one always engage at least in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra: “Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, the great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.”

The purport of SB 10.2.37 quotesCC Madhya 7.128

Caitanya Mahāprabhu advises that a guru is one who strictly follows the instructions of Bhagavad-gītā: yare dekha tare kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śṛṇvanconstantly hearing about the Lord ( śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ)
  2. gṛṇanchanting or reciting (the holy name of the Lord and His activities)
  3. saṁsmarayanremembering (constantly thinking of the Lord’s lotus feet and His form)
  4. caand
  5. cintayancontemplating (the transcendental activities of the Lord)
  6. nāmāniHis transcendental names
  7. rūpāṇiHis transcendental forms
  8. caalso
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”, “devotee”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chant”, “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understand”

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 could one of your daily activities become practical service that helps you remember Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Share a short passage from Kṛṣṇa literature with one person and invite them to read it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayStay Absorbed in Devotional ServiceThis 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 10.2.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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