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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

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 41: Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Enter Mathurā

10.41.45 10.41.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.41.46

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sudāmāsince 10.41.45inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

भवन्तौ किल विश्वस्य जगत: कारणं परम् ।

अवतीर्णाविहांशेन क्षेमाय च भवाय च ॥ ४६ ॥

bhavantau kila viśvasya

jagataḥ kāraṇaṁ param

avatīrṇāv ihāṁśena

kṣemāya ca bhavāya ca

Translation

You two Lords are the ultimate cause of this entire universe. To bestow sustenance and prosperity upon this realm, You have descended with Your plenary expansions.

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.

The Lords Descend for the World’s Benefit

1
Sudāmā recognized Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma as the ultimate cause of the entire universe.
2
Their descent brings sustenance and prosperity to this realm.
3
The Lords descend with Their plenary expansions. Their presence here is for the world’s benefit.

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 41: Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Enter Mathurā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Next a weaver approached the two Lords and arrayed Them suitably, for which service he received from Kṛṣṇa opulence in this life and liberation in the next. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma then went to the house of the garland-maker Sudāmā.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.41