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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 40: The Prayers of Akrūra

10.40.25 10.40.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.40.26

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

यथाबुधो जलं हित्वा प्रतिच्छन्नं तदुद्भ‍वै: ।

अभ्येति मृगतृष्णां वै तद्वत्त्वाहं पराङ्‌मुख: ॥ २६ ॥

yathābudho jalaṁ hitvā

praticchannaṁ tad-udbhavaiḥ

abhyeti mṛga-tṛṣṇāṁ vai

tadvat tvāhaṁ parāṅ-mukhaḥ

Translation

Just as a fool overlooks a body of water covered by the vegetation growing in it and chases a mirage, so I have turned away from You.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Do Not Chase a Mirage

1
The verse compares turning away from the Lord to overlooking a real body of water.
2
The water is covered by vegetation growing in it. The fool overlooks it and instead pursues a mirage.
3
The prayer admits this same mistake: turning away from the Lord while pursuing what cannot satisfy.

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

Chapter 40: The Prayers of Akrūra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

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. Similarly, living beings caught in the grip of ignorance abandon Lord Viṣṇu and become attached to their bodies, homes and so on.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.40