1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

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 28: Kṛṣṇa Rescues Nanda Mahārāja from the Abode of Varuṇa
10.28.410.28.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.28.5

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Varuṇasince 10.28.5inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीवरुण उवाच

अद्य मे निभृतो देहोऽद्यैवार्थोऽधिगत: प्रभो । त्वत्पादभाजो भगवन्नवापु: पारमध्वन: ॥ ५ ॥

śrī-varuṇa uvāca

adya me nibhṛto deho

’dyaivārtho ’dhigataḥ prabho

tvat-pāda-bhājo bhagavann

avāpuḥ pāram adhvanaḥ

Translation

Śrī Varuṇa said: Now my body has fulfilled its function. Indeed, now the goal of my life is achieved, O Lord. Those who accept Your lotus feet, O Personality of Godhead, can transcend the path of material existence.

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.

The Lord’s Lotus Feet Fulfill Life

  1. 1

    Seeing the infinitely beautiful body of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Varuṇa felt that having a material body was now fully justified.

  2. 2

    Varuṇa declared that the goal and real value of his life had been achieved through seeing the Lord.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa’s form is transcendental, not material. Those who accept His lotus feet go beyond the boundary of material existence.

Key points from the purport
  • Varuṇa ecstatically exclaims here that since he has now seen the infinitely gorgeous body of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the trouble of assuming a material body has now been supremely justified.
  • Indeed, the artha, the goal or real value of Varuṇa’s life, has now been achieved.
  • Because Lord Kṛṣṇa’s form is transcendental, those who accept His lotus feet go beyond the boundary of material existence, and thus only the spiritually unaware would presume that the Lord’s lotus feet are material.

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 28: Kṛṣṇa Rescues Nanda Mahārāja from the Abode of Varuṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Thus he entered the water of the Yamunā. A servant of Varuṇa, the demigod of the ocean, noticed Nanda Mahārāja entering the water at a time forbidden by scripture and took him away to the demigod’s abode.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.28
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-varuṇaḥ uvācaŚrī Varuṇa said
  2. adyatoday
  3. meby me
  4. nibhṛtaḥis carried successfully
  5. dehaḥmy material body
  6. adyatoday
  7. evaindeed
  8. arthaḥthe goal of life
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

  • 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.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does accepting Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet change my understanding of a successful life?

Practice

Spend a minute praying to accept Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet as the goal of your life.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Lotus Feet Fulfill LifeThis 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 10.28.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
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