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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 28: Kṛṣṇa Rescues Nanda Mahārāja from the Abode of Varuṇa

10.28.15 10.28.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.28.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.28.9inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ते तु ब्रह्मह्रदं नीता मग्ना: कृष्णेन चोद्‌धृता: । दद‍ृशुर्ब्रह्मणो लोकं यत्राक्रूरोऽध्यगात् पुरा ॥ १६ ॥

te tu brahma-hradam nītā

magnāḥ kṛṣṇena coddhṛtāḥ

dadṛśur brahmaṇo lokaṁ

yatrākrūro ’dhyagāt purā

Translation

The cowherd men were brought by Lord Kṛṣṇa to the Brahma-hrada, made to submerge in the water, and then lifted up. From the same vantage point that Akrūra saw the spiritual world, the cowherd men saw the planet of the Absolute Truth.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Beyond Impersonal Awareness to Kṛṣṇa’s Abode

1
Kṛṣṇa submerged the cowherd men in Brahma-hrada, understood in the purport as immersing them in awareness of the impersonal Brahman.
2
He then lifted them to a higher understanding: the Personality of Godhead in His own spiritual planet. They saw the transcendental abode of the Absolute Truth.
3
Spiritual understanding moves beyond attraction to material variety and beyond the undifferentiated One. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we discover that spiritual oneness contains its own eternal variety.

Key points from the purport

The unlimited extension of spiritual light, called the brahmajyoti in text 15, is compared to a lake called Brahma-hrada.
Finally, rising to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we find that the absolute, spiritual One contains its own eternal variety.
In fact, since this world is a mere shadow of eternal existence, we would expect to find spiritual variety within the One, and indeed we do find it in the sacred text of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

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

Chapter 28: Kṛṣṇa Rescues Nanda Mahārāja from the Abode of Varuṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Thereupon the omniscient Personality of Godhead arranged for them to bathe in the same lake where Akrūra would have his vision of the Absolute Truth. There the Lord revealed to them Brahmaloka, which is realized by great sages in their mystic trance.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.28

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tethey
tuand
brahma-hradamto the lake known as Brahma-hrada
nītāḥbrought
magnāḥsubmerged
kṛṣṇenaby Kṛṣṇa
caand
uddhṛtāḥlifted out

Key ideas in this verse

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

Īśānukathā · The science of God
Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10
Jñāna · Spiritual insight
Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.28
In this verse: “absolute truth”, “understanding”
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.28
In this verse: “material”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does eternal spiritual variety expand your understanding of spiritual life?

Practice

Briefly review the three stages described in the purport: material attraction, impersonal awareness and Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Connected stories

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

AkrūraSB 10.38–40 · Akrūra’s journey and visionKṛṣṇa is kindly disposed toward His surrendered devotees. Akrūra’s prayers teach that the Lord’s appearances remove the unhappiness of those who joyfully chant His glories.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.28's connections

Live this todayBeyond Impersonal Awareness to Kṛṣṇa’s AbodeThis 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 10.28.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories