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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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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
10.40.810.40.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.40.9

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Akrūrasince 10.40.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सर्व एव यजन्ति त्वां सर्वदेवमयेश्वरम् ।

येऽप्यन्यदेवताभक्ता यद्यप्यन्यधिय: प्रभो ॥ ९ ॥

sarva eva yajanti tvāṁ

sarva-deva-mayeśvaram

ye ’py anya-devatā-bhaktā

yady apy anya-dhiyaḥ prabho

Translation

But all these people, my Lord, even those who have turned their attention away from You and are worshiping other deities, are actually worshiping You alone, O embodiment of all the demigods.

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.

Indirect Worship Reflects Incomplete Understanding

  1. 1

    Akrūra addresses the Supreme Lord as the embodiment of all the demigods.

  2. 2

    Even those whose attention is turned toward other deities are indirectly worshiping the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that the understanding of these worshipers is imperfect. Indirect worship does not mean complete understanding of the Supreme Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • The idea here is that even those who worship the demigods are indirectly worshiping the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu.
  • The understanding of such worshipers, however, is imperfect.

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. sarveall
  2. evaindeed
  3. yajantiworship
  4. tvamYou
  5. sarva-devaall the demigods
  6. mayaO You who comprise
  7. īśvaramthe Supreme Lord
  8. yethey
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshiping”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understanding”

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

Why is understanding whom you worship important to your devotional life?

Practice

Offer a short prayer to Viṣṇu, acknowledging Him as the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayIndirect Worship Reflects Incomplete UnderstandingThis 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 10.40.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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