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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
10.40.310.40.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.40.4

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

त्वां योगिनो यजन्त्यद्धा महापुरुषमीश्वरम् ।

साध्यात्मं साधिभूतं च साधिदैवं च साधव: ॥ ४ ॥

tvāṁ yogino yajanty addhā

mahā-puruṣam īśvaram

sādhyātmaṁ sādhibhūtaṁ ca

sādhidaivaṁ ca sādhavaḥ

Translation

Pure yogīs worship You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by conceiving of You in the threefold form comprising the living entities, the material elements that constitute the living entities’ bodies, and the controlling deities of those elements.

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.

Pure Yogīs Worship the Supreme Person

  1. 1

    Pure yogīs worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    They conceive of Him in a threefold form that includes the living entities and the material elements constituting their bodies.

  3. 3

    This threefold conception also includes the controlling deities of those elements. Their worship is directed toward the Supreme Lord.

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:

Fruitive workers worship Him by performing Vedic sacrifices, philosophers by renouncing material work and pursuing spiritual knowledge, yogīs by meditating, Śaivites by worshiping Lord Śiva, Vaiṣṇavas by following the injunctions of such scriptures as the Pañcarātra, and other saintly persons by worshiping Him as the original form of the self, of the material substance and of the controlling demigods.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.40
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamfor You
  2. yoginaḥyogīs
  3. yajantiperform sacrifice
  4. addhācertainly
  5. mahā-puruṣamfor the Supreme Personality
  6. īśvaramthe Godhead
  7. sa-adhyātmam(the witness of) the living entities
  8. sa-adhibhutamof the material elements
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.40

    In this verse: “worship”

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 can this threefold view help you remember the Supreme Lord while observing embodied life?

Practice

Reread the three parts of the yogīs’ conception, then offer a brief prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPure Yogīs Worship the Supreme PersonThis 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 10.40.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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