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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
10.40.410.40.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.40.5

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

त्रय्या च विद्यया केचित्त्वां वै वैतानिका द्विजा: ।

यजन्ते विततैर्यज्ञैर्नाना रूपामराख्यया ॥ ५ ॥

trayyā ca vidyayā kecit

tvāṁ vai vaitānikā dvijāḥ

yajante vitatair yajñair

nānā-rūpāmarākhyayā

Translation

Brāhmaṇas who follow the regulations concerning the three sacred fires worship You by chanting mantras from the three Vedas and performing elaborate fire sacrifices for the various demigods, who have many forms and names.

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.

Worship Kṛṣṇa Directly for Eternal Perfection

  1. 1

    Brāhmaṇas following the regulations of the three sacred fires worship through Vedic mantras and elaborate sacrifices. These sacrifices are offered to demigods with various forms and names.

  2. 2

    Although the Vedas describe particular demigods as supreme, they also teach that there is one supreme controller: Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    Demigod worship reaches Him indirectly through karma-kāṇḍa, or fruitive religious rituals. Those seeking eternal perfection should worship Him directly in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Key points from the purport
  • Akrūra has now described how those who follow the paths of Sāṅkhya, yoga and the three Vedas worship the Supreme Lord in different ways.
  • In the various places where the Vedas appear to recommend that one worship Indra, Varuṇa and other demigods, these demigods are stated to be supreme.
  • Thus worship of the demigods goes to Him through the indirect method of karma-kāṇḍa, or fruitive religious rituals.

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:

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. trayyāof the three Vedas
  2. caand
  3. vidyayāby the mantras
  4. kecitsome
  5. tvāmYou
  6. vaiindeed
  7. vaitānikāḥwho respect the regulations of the three sacred fires
  8. dvijāḥbrāhmaṇas
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worship”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.40

    In this verse: “chanting”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 10.40

    In this verse: “religious”

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

Are you seeking temporary results, or eternal perfection through direct worship of Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer directly to Kṛṣṇa, asking to grow in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWorship Kṛṣṇa Directly for Eternal PerfectionThis 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 10.40.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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