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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 48: Kṛṣṇa Pleases His Devotees
10.48.2010.48.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.48.21

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Akrūrasince 10.48.17inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सृजस्यथो लुम्पसि पासि विश्वं

रजस्तम:सत्त्वगुणै: स्वशक्तिभि: ।

न बध्यसे तद्गुणकर्मभिर्वा

ज्ञानात्मनस्ते क्व‍ च बन्धहेतु: ॥ २१ ॥

sṛjasy atho lumpasi pāsi viśvaṁ

rajas-tamaḥ-sattva-guṇaiḥ sva-śaktibhiḥ

na badhyase tad-guṇa-karmabhir vā

jñānātmanas te kva ca bandha-hetuḥ

Translation

You create, destroy and also maintain this universe with Your personal energies — the modes of passion, ignorance and goodness — yet You are never entangled by these modes or the activities they generate. Since You are the original source of all knowledge, what could ever cause You to be bound by illusion?

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 Supreme Lord Is Never in Illusion

  1. 1

    The Lord creates, destroys and maintains the universe through His personal energies: passion, ignorance and goodness.

  2. 2

    He is never entangled by these modes or by the activities they produce. As the original source of all knowledge, He has no cause of bondage.

  3. 3

    The omniscient Supreme God is never in illusion. This refutes the idea that we are all God but have forgotten our identity and become covered by illusion.

Key points from the purport
  • The phrase jñānātmanas te kva ca bandha-hetuḥ, “Since You are constituted of knowledge, what could be a cause of bondage for You?” definitely indicates the obvious, that the omniscient Supreme God is never in illusion.
  • Therefore the impersonalistic theory that we are all God but have forgotten and are now in illusion is refuted here in the pages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

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

Further reading

Chapter 48: Kṛṣṇa Pleases His Devotees

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Apart from offering sandal paste to Kṛṣṇa, Trivakrā had never performed any pious acts, yet simply on the strength of the piety of this single act she attained the rare personal association of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa next went to Akrūra’s house with Lord Baladeva and Uddhava.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.48
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sṛjasiYou create
  2. atha uand then
  3. lumpasiYou destroy
  4. pāsiYou protect
  5. viśvamthe universe
  6. rajaḥknown as passion
  7. tamaḥignorance
  8. sattvaand goodness
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.48

    In this verse: “illusion”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.48

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

How does remembering that Kṛṣṇa is never bewildered strengthen my confidence in Him?

Practice

Before praying today, pause and recall that Kṛṣṇa is the source of all knowledge and is never bound by illusion.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Is Never in IllusionThis 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 10.48.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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