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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.23.10-11

देश: काल: पृथग्द्रव्यं मन्त्रतन्त्रर्त्विजोऽग्नय: ।

देवता यजमानश्च क्रतुर्धर्मश्च यन्मय: ॥ १० ॥

तं ब्रह्म परमं साक्षाद् भगवन्तमधोक्षजम् ।

मनुष्यद‍ृष्ट्या दुष्प्रज्ञा मर्त्यात्मानो न मेनिरे ॥ ११ ॥

deśaḥ kālaḥ pṛthag dravyaṁ

mantra-tantrartvijo ’gnayaḥ

devatā yajamānaś ca

kratur dharmaś ca yan-mayaḥ

taṁ brahma paramaṁ sākṣād

bhagavantam adhokṣajam

manuṣya-dṛṣṭyā duṣprajñā

martyātmāno na menire

Translation

Although the ingredients of sacrificial performance — the place, time, particular paraphernalia, mantras, rituals, priests, fires, demigods, performer, offering and the as yet unseen beneficial results — are all simply aspects of His opulences, the brāhmaṇas saw Lord Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary human because of their perverted intelligence. They failed to recognize that He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, the directly manifest Personality of Godhead, whom the material senses cannot ordinarily perceive. Thus bewildered by their false identification with the mortal body, they did not show Him proper respect.

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.

Recognize Kṛṣṇa Beyond Mundane Vision

  1. 1

    Every element of sacrifice, including its place, rituals, offerings and results, is an aspect of Kṛṣṇa’s opulences.

  2. 2

    The brāhmaṇas considered Kṛṣṇa an ordinary human, failing to recognize the Supreme Absolute Truth, the directly manifest Personality of Godhead. Their false identification with the mortal body kept them from showing Him proper respect.

  3. 3

    Just as colored glasses alter one’s view, mundane vision makes a conditioned soul see even God as mundane. This loses the opportunity to go back home, back to Godhead.

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.