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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 40: The Prayers of Akrūra
10.40.1610.40.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.40.17-18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Akrūrasince 10.40.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नम: कारणमत्स्याय प्रलयाब्धिचराय च ।

हयशीर्ष्णे नमस्तुभ्यं मधुकैटभमृत्यवे ॥ १७ ॥

अकूपाराय बृहते नमो मन्दरधारिणे ।

क्षित्युद्धारविहाराय नम: शूकरमूर्तये ॥ १८ ॥

namaḥ kāraṇa-matsyāya

pralayābdhi-carāya ca

hayaśīrṣṇe namas tubhyaṁ

madhu-kaiṭabha-mṛtyave

akūpārāya bṛhate

namo mandara-dhāriṇe

kṣity-uddhāra-vihārāya

namaḥ śūkara-mūrtaye

Translation

I offer my obeisances to You, the cause of the creation, Lord Matsya, who swam about in the ocean of dissolution, to Lord Hayagrīva, the killer of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, to the immense tortoise [Lord Kūrma], who supported Mandara Mountain, and to the boar incarnation [Lord Varāha], who enjoyed lifting the earth.

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.

Offer Obeisances to the Lord’s Incarnations

  1. 1

    The prayer honors Lord Matsya, the cause of creation, who swam in the ocean of dissolution, and Lord Hayagrīva, who killed Madhu and Kaiṭabha.

  2. 2

    Lord Kūrma is the immense tortoise who supported Mandara Mountain. The Viśva-kośa dictionary explains that akūpārāya indicates the king of tortoises.

  3. 3

    The prayer also honors Lord Varāha, the boar incarnation, who enjoyed lifting the earth.

Key points from the purport
  • The Viśva-kośa dictionary states that the word akūpārāya indicates the king of tortoises.

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

Anxiety and conflict → Liberation and joy. Heroic victory is complicated by separation from Vraja.

Chapters 39–45 of Canto 10: Mathurā, Kaṁsa and reunion with parents. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 40: The Prayers of Akrūra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Just as rivers flow from various directions into the ocean, the worship of those who dedicate themselves to these various entities finds its ultimate purpose within the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. “The form of the total universe, the Virāṭ-rūpa, is imagined to be the form of Lord Viṣṇu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.40
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. namaḥobeisances
  2. kāraṇawho is the original cause of creation
  3. matsyāyato the Supreme Lord’s appearance as a fish
  4. pralayaof annihilation
  5. abdhiin the ocean
  6. carāyawho moved about
  7. caand
  8. haya-śīrṣṇeto the incarnation who appeared with the head of a horse
3

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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.40

    In this verse: “king”

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

Which of these descriptions most helps me offer heartfelt respect to the Lord?

Practice

Read the translation slowly and offer obeisances to each form of the Lord named in it.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.40's connections

Live this todayOffer Obeisances to the Lord’s IncarnationsThis 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 10.40.17-18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.