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 38: Akrūra’s Arrival in Vṛndāvana
10.38.1010.38.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.38.11

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.38.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

य ईक्षिताहंरहितोऽप्यसत्सतो:

स्वतेजसापास्ततमोभिदाभ्रम: ।

स्वमाययात्मन् रचितैस्तदीक्षया

प्राणाक्षधीभि: सदनेष्वभीयते ॥ ११ ॥

ya īkṣitāhaṁ-rahito ’py asat-satoḥ

sva-tejasāpāsta-tamo-bhidā-bhramaḥ

sva-māyayātman racitais tad-īkṣayā

prāṇākṣa-dhībhiḥ sadaneṣv abhīyate

Translation

He is the witness of material cause and effect, yet He is always free from false identification with them. By His internal potency He dispels the darkness of separation and confusion. The individual souls in this world, who are manifested here when He glances upon His material creative energy, indirectly perceive Him in the activities of their life airs, senses and intelligence.

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 World Belongs to Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    All existence comes from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thinking the world separate from Him leads us to exploit it for our own enjoyment.

  2. 2

    We can give up material desires by recognizing the world as God’s energy, meant for Him rather than our selfish gratification.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s presence can be perceived indirectly through the activities of our senses and intelligence. Unlike ordinary embodied souls, He is free from false ego and dispels ignorance by His internal potency.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus the psychological underpinning of material life is the illusion that this world is somehow separate from God and therefore meant for our enjoyment.
  • While it is true that this world is temporary and thus in one sense illusory, the mechanism of illusion is a spiritual potency of the Supreme Lord.
  • We will actually give up our material desires only when we understand that this world belongs to God and is therefore not meant for our selfish gratification.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 10.38.11 quotesSB 11.2.37

The false concept of separation from the Lord is described in the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam (11.2.37): bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād īśād apetasya viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ.

The purport of SB 10.38.11 quotesSB 2.2.35

This process is also described in the Second Canto of the Bhāgavatam (2.2.35): “The Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is in every living being along with the individual soul.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Attachment → Impending loss. The approach of departure gives pastoral love a poignant edge.

Chapters 34–38 of Canto 10: Further Vraja events and Akrūra's arrival. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 38: Akrūra’s Arrival in Vṛndāvana

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Although Kaṁsa is an enemy of the Supreme Lord and His devotees, still, it is by Kaṁsa’s grace that I will get this great boon of seeing the Lord. When I first catch sight of His lotus feet, all my sinful reactions will be destroyed at once.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.38
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yaḥwho
  2. īkṣitāthe witness
  3. ahamfalse ego
  4. rahitaḥdevoid of
  5. apinevertheless
  6. asat-satoḥof material products and causes
  7. sva-tejasāby His personal potency
  8. apāstahaving dispelled
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.38

    In this verse: “free from”, “give up”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.38

    In this verse: “separation”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.38

    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

What would change if I saw what I use each day as Kṛṣṇa’s energy rather than mine to enjoy?

Practice

Choose one resource you use today and consciously use it in Kṛṣṇa’s service rather than for selfish gratification.

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.

The purport quotesSB 11.2.37SB 2.2.35

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.38's connections

Live this todayThe World Belongs to KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.38.11? 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