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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
10.40.510.40.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.40.6

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Akrūrasince 10.40.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एके त्वाखिलकर्माणि सन्न्यस्योपशमं गता: ।

ज्ञानिनो ज्ञानयज्ञेन यजन्ति ज्ञानविग्रहम् ॥ ६ ॥

eke tvākhila-karmāṇi

sannyasyopaśamaṁ gatāḥ

jñānino jñāna-yajñena

yajanti jñāna-vigraham

Translation

In pursuit of spiritual knowledge, some persons renounce all material activities and, having thus become peaceful, perform the sacrifice of philosophic investigation to worship You, the original form of all knowledge.

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.

Let Knowledge Become Worship

  1. 1

    Some seekers of spiritual knowledge renounce all material activities and become peaceful.

  2. 2

    They worship the Lord through the sacrifice of philosophic investigation, recognizing Him as the original form of all knowledge.

  3. 3

    The purport warns that pursuing knowledge without worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead produces meager, if not trivial, results.

Key points from the purport
  • Modern philosophers pursue knowledge without bothering to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus they naturally end up with meager, if not trivial, results.

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. ekesome
  2. tvāto You
  3. akhilaall
  4. karmāṇiactivities
  5. sannyasyaresigning
  6. upaśamampeace
  7. gatāḥattaining
  8. jñāninaḥpursuers of knowledge
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.40

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “philosophic”

  • 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

Does your pursuit of spiritual knowledge include worship of the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Before studying today, offer a short prayer to the Lord so that your learning becomes an act of worship.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLet Knowledge Become WorshipThis 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 10.40.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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