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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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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
10.40.2310.40.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.40.24

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Akrūrasince 10.40.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अहं चात्मात्मजागारदारार्थस्वजनादिषु ।

भ्रमामि स्वप्नकल्पेषु मूढ: सत्यधिया विभो ॥ २४ ॥

ahaṁ cātmātmajāgāra-

dārārtha-svajanādiṣu

bhramāmi svapna-kalpeṣu

mūḍhaḥ satya-dhiyā vibho

Translation

I too am deluded in this way, O almighty Lord, foolishly thinking my body, children, home, wife, money and followers to be real, though they are actually as unreal as a dream.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Recognizing Dreamlike Attachments

  1. 1

    The prayer honestly admits, “I too am deluded.” It acknowledges personal bewilderment before the almighty Lord.

  2. 2

    The body, children, home, wife, money and followers are all included among the objects of attachment.

  3. 3

    These are described as unreal as a dream, though the deluded person foolishly takes them to be real.

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:

These living beings, bewildered by His Māyā, wander along the path of material work, falsely identifying with body, home and so forth. Under the sway of illusion, a foolish person may overlook a reservoir of water covered by grass and leaves and instead run after a mirage.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.40
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ahamI
  2. caalso
  3. ātmaconcerning my body
  4. ātma-jachildren
  5. agārahome
  6. dārawife
  7. arthawealth
  8. sva-janafollowers
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.40

    In this verse: “children”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.40

    In this verse: “attachment”

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 dreamlike attachment do I treat as a lasting source of security?

Practice

Choose one possession you rely on and acknowledge before the Lord that it is as dreamlike as the verse describes.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRecognizing Dreamlike AttachmentsThis 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 10.40.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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