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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 27: Lord Indra and Mother Surabhi Offer Prayers
10.27.1010.27.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.27.11

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Indrasince 10.27.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

स्वच्छन्दोपात्तदेहाय विशुद्धज्ञानमूर्तये । सर्वस्मै सर्वबीजाय सर्वभूतात्मने नम: ॥ ११ ॥

svacchandopātta-dehāya

viśuddha-jñāna-mūrtaye

sarvasmai sarva-bījāya

sarva-bhūtātmane namaḥ

Translation

Unto Him who assumes transcendental bodies according to the desires of His devotees, unto Him whose form is itself pure consciousness, unto Him who is everything, who is the seed of everything and who is the Soul of all creatures, I offer my obeisances.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Form Is Pure Consciousness

  1. 1

    The Lord manifests different transcendental forms according to His own desire or His devotees’ desires. This personal exchange shows that He is eternally a person.

  2. 2

    His form is itself completely pure consciousness, not a material body. It is distinct even from material mind, intelligence and false ego.

  3. 3

    The Lord is everything, the seed of everything and the Soul of every creature. The purport invites us to join Indra in offering Him obeisances.

Key points from the purport
  • An impersonal God could hardly reciprocate with the personal desires of Its devotees, nor could an impersonal God Itself have desires, since desire is characteristic of personality.
  • Therefore, the Lord’s manifesting different forms in a personal way, responding to personal desires, indicates that He is eternally a person and manifests His different transcendental bodies as an expression of His own eternal nature.
  • Mūrti means the form of the Deity, and it is specifically stated here that the Lord’s form is itself completely pure consciousness.

The purport'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

Attraction and threat → Joy and trust. The pastoral world becomes the setting for protection and love.

Chapters 20–28 of Canto 10: Forest seasons, flute and Govardhana. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 27: Lord Indra and Mother Surabhi Offer Prayers

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Indra went on to declare that Kṛṣṇa is the father, guru and Lord of all living entities, and that in the form of time He is the agent of their punishment. Satisfied with Indra’s prayers, Śrī Kṛṣṇa told him that He had stopped the indra-yajña so that Indra, puffed up as he was with false pride, would remember the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.27
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. svaof His own (devotees)
  2. chandaaccording to the desire
  3. upāttawho assumes
  4. dehāyaHis transcendental bodies
  5. viśuddhaperfectly pure
  6. jñānaknowledge
  7. mūrtayewhose form
  8. sarvasmaito Him who is everything
3

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 10.27

    In this verse: “devotees”, “devotees’”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.27

    In this verse: “false ego”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.27

    In this verse: “material”

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 does knowing that Kṛṣṇa’s form is spiritual affect the way I approach Him?

Practice

Read the translation slowly, then offer obeisances to Kṛṣṇa as the Soul of all creatures.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Form Is Pure ConsciousnessThis 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 10.27.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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