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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
10.2.3710.2.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.2.38

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The demigodssince 10.2.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

दिष्टय‍ा हरेऽस्या भवत: पदो भुवो

भारोऽपनीतस्तव जन्मनेशितु: ।

दिष्टय‍ाङ्कितां त्वत्पदकै: सुशोभनै-

र्द्रक्ष्याम गां द्यां च तवानुकम्पिताम् ॥ ३८ ॥

diṣṭyā hare ’syā bhavataḥ pado bhuvo

bhāro ’panītas tava janmaneśituḥ

diṣṭyāṅkitāṁ tvat-padakaiḥ suśobhanair

drakṣyāma gāṁ dyāṁ ca tavānukampitām

Translation

O Lord, we are fortunate because the heavy burden of the demons upon this earth is immediately removed by Your appearance. Indeed, we are certainly fortunate, for we shall be able to see upon this earth and in the heavenly planets the marks of lotus, conchshell, club and disc that adorn Your lotus feet.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember the Lord’s Lotus Feet

  1. 1

    The demigods rejoiced because the Lord’s appearance would remove the burden of demons. They also felt fortunate to see the transcendental marks of His lotus feet.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet bear marks including conchshell, disc, club and lotus. These marks are visible to devotees who receive the causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    The gopīs were fully absorbed in transcendence by thinking of the Lord’s lotus feet. Our duty is likewise to hear, chant and think about His lotus feet.

Key points from the purport
  • The soles of the Lord’s lotus feet are marked with śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma — conchshell, disc, club and lotus — and also by a flag and a thunderbolt.
  • When Akrūra went to Vṛndāvana to take Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma away to the festival arranged by Kaṁsa, upon seeing the marks of the Lord’s lotus feet on the ground of Vṛndāvana, he fell down and began to groan.
  • The demigods were jubilant not only because the appearance of the Supreme Lord would do away with the burdensome demons, but also because they would be able to see upon the ground the transcendental marks from the soles of the Lord’s lotus feet.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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

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. diṣṭyāby fortune
  2. hareO Lord
  3. asyāḥof this (world)
  4. bhavataḥof Your Lordship
  5. padaḥof the place
  6. bhuvaḥon this earth
  7. bhāraḥthe burden created by the demons
  8. apanītaḥnow removed
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.2

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chant”

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

What draws your attention to the Lord’s lotus feet when you hear about them?

Practice

Spend one minute remembering the conchshell, disc, club and lotus marks on Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.

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 todayRemember the Lord’s Lotus FeetThis 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 10.2.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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