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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

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 46: Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana

10.46.40 10.46.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.46.41

Mukti· Liberation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Uddhavasince 10.46.30inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यथा भ्रमरिकाद‍ृष्‍ट्या भ्राम्यतीव महीयते ।

चित्ते कर्तरि तत्रात्मा कर्तेवाहंधिया स्मृत: ॥ ४१ ॥

yathā bhramarikā-dṛṣṭyā

bhrāmyatīva mahīyate

citte kartari tatrātmā

kartevāhaṁ-dhiyā smṛtaḥ

Translation

Just as a person who is whirling around perceives the ground to be turning, one who is affected by false ego thinks himself the doer, when actually only his mind is acting.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

False Ego Distorts Our Understanding

1
A person who whirls around sees the ground as turning. The apparent movement comes from the person’s own condition.
2
Similarly, one affected by false ego thinks himself the doer, although only his mind is acting.
3
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains a parallel mistake: our interaction with material qualities causes happiness and distress, yet we perceive the Lord as their cause.

Key points from the purport

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī gives a parallel idea: Although our happiness and distress are caused by our own interaction with the material qualities, we perceive the Lord to be their cause.

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

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

Chapter 46: Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When the sun rose, the gopīs saw Uddhava’s chariot at the edge of the cowherd village, and they thought that Akrūra might have returned. But just then Uddhava finished his morning duties and presented himself before them.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.46

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yathāas
bhramarikābecause of whirling around
dṛṣṭyāin one’s vision
bhrāmyatiwhirling
ivaas if
mahīthe ground
īyateappears
cittethe mind

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
Dainya · Humility
Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.46
In this verse: “false ego”
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.46
In this verse: “material”
Karuṇā · Compassion
Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.46
In this verse: “distress”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When distress arises, do you examine your own interaction with material qualities?

Practice

Pause during one frustration today and consider your mind’s role before assigning blame.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFalse Ego Distorts Our 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 10.46.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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