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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 46: Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana
10.46.3010.46.32-33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.46.31

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Uddhavasince 10.46.30inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एतौ हि विश्वस्य च बीजयोनी

रामो मुकुन्द: पुरुष: प्रधानम् ।

अन्वीय भूतेषु विलक्षणस्य

ज्ञानस्य चेशात इमौ पुराणौ ॥ ३१ ॥

etau hi viśvasya ca bīja-yonī

rāmo mukundaḥ puruṣaḥ pradhānam

anvīya bhūteṣu vilakṣaṇasya

jñānasya ceśāta imau purāṇau

Translation

These two Lords, Mukunda and Balarāma, are each the seed and womb of the universe, the creator and His creative potency. They enter the hearts of living beings and control their conditioned awareness. They are the primeval Supreme.

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.

The One Lord Expands and Guides

  1. 1

    Mukunda and Balarāma are the seed and womb of the universe, the creator and His creative potency. They enter living beings’ hearts and govern their awareness.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa guides spiritually advancing souls who distinguish the body from the soul. Those confused about the body, the soul and the Supreme Soul reach temporary destinations rather than the eternal spiritual world.

  3. 3

    Balarāma is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa, being His plenary expansion. The Lord is one, yet He expands Himself, so Balarāma’s existence does not contradict belief in one Supreme Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • The word vilakṣaṇa means either “distinctly perceiving” or “confused,” depending on how the prefix vi is understood in context.
  • In the case of enlightened souls, vilakṣaṇa means “perceiving the correct distinction between the body and the soul” and thus Lord Kṛṣṇa, as indicated by the word īśāte, guides the spiritually advancing soul.
  • The Lord is one, yet He expands Himself, and thus Lord Balarāma in no way compromises the principle of monotheism.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 20.262

This verse is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.46.31).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Heartache → Unbroken remembrance. Love endures and deepens despite visible absence.

Chapters 46–49 of Canto 10: Uddhava, the gopīs and the Song of the Bee. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 46: Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are present in the hearts of all living beings, just as fire lies dormant within wood. These two Lords see all equally, having no particular friends or enemies.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.46
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. etauthese two
  2. hiindeed
  3. viśvasyaof the universe
  4. caand
  5. bījathe seed
  6. yonīand the womb
  7. rāmaḥLord Balarāma
  8. mukundaḥLord Kṛṣṇa
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.46

    In this verse: “govern”

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

Where do you notice yourself confusing your body with your spiritual identity?

Practice

Take one quiet minute to reflect on the distinction between your body and your soul, asking Kṛṣṇa for guidance.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe One Lord Expands and GuidesThis 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 10.46.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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