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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 45: Kṛṣṇa Rescues His Teacher’s Son
10.45.410.45.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.45.5

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.45.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सर्वार्थसम्भवो देहो जनित: पोषितो यत: ।

न तयोर्याति निर्वेशं पित्रोर्मर्त्य: शतायुषा ॥ ५ ॥

sarvārtha-sambhavo deho

janitaḥ poṣito yataḥ

na tayor yāti nirveśaṁ

pitror martyaḥ śatāyuṣā

Translation

With one’s body one can acquire all goals of life, and it is one’s parents who give the body birth and sustenance. Therefore no mortal man can repay his debt to his parents, even if he serves them for a full lifetime of a hundred years.

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.

Our Debt to Parents Is Beyond Repayment

  1. 1

    The body makes it possible to acquire all the goals of life. Parents give that body birth and sustenance.

  2. 2

    No mortal person can fully repay this debt to their parents, even through a hundred years of service.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa speaks as though His and Balarāma’s religious principles have been spoiled by Their failure to satisfy Their parents. His words emphasize the importance of serving parents.

Key points from the purport
  • Having stated, “Both you, Our parents, and We have suffered because of Our separation,” Kṛṣṇa now states that His and Balarāma’s religious principles have been spoiled by Their failure to satisfy Their parents.

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 45: Kṛṣṇa Rescues His Teacher’s Son

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then He stated, “Even in a lifetime of one hundred years, no son can ever repay the debt he owes his parents, from whom he receives his very body. Any capable son who fails to support his parents will be forced, in the hereafter, to eat his own flesh.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.45
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sarvaof all
  2. arthagoals of life
  3. sambhavaḥthe source
  4. dehaḥone’s body
  5. janitaḥborn
  6. poṣitaḥmaintained
  7. yataḥfrom whom
  8. nanot
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 10.45

    In this verse: “religious”, “principles”

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

What care from my parents have I received without fully appreciating it?

Practice

Identify one way your parents sustained you, and offer thanks if possible.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOur Debt to Parents Is Beyond RepaymentThis 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 10.45.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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