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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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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 49: Akrūra’s Mission in Hastināpura
10.49.2810.49.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.49.29

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Dhṛtarāṣṭrasince 10.49.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यो दुर्विमर्शपथया निजमाययेदं

सृष्ट्वा गुणान् विभजते तदनुप्रविष्ट: ।

तस्मै नमो दुरवबोधविहारतन्त्र-

संसारचक्रगतये परमेश्वराय ॥ २९ ॥

yo durvimarśa-pathayā nija-māyayedaṁ

sṛṣṭvā guṇān vibhajate tad-anupraviṣṭaḥ

tasmai namo duravabodha-vihāra-tantra-

saṁsāra-cakra-gataye parameśvarāya

Translation

I offer my obeisances to Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who creates this universe by the inconceivable activity of His material energy and then distributes the various modes of nature by entering within the creation. From Him, the meaning of whose pastimes is unfathomable, come both the entangling cycle of birth and death and the process of deliverance from it.

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.

Honor the Supreme Lord's Inconceivable Power

  1. 1

    Dhṛtarāṣṭra offers obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who creates the universe through His inconceivable material energy. Entering the creation, He distributes the modes of nature.

  2. 2

    Both the entangling cycle of birth and death and the process of deliverance come from Him. The meaning of His pastimes is unfathomable.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that Dhṛtarāṣṭra was not an ordinary person but an associate of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. An ordinary person could not offer such a learned hymn.

Key points from the purport
  • When all is said and done, Dhṛtarāṣṭra was not an ordinary person but an associate of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.
  • Certainly an ordinary person could not offer such a learned hymn to the Lord.

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 49: Akrūra’s Mission in Hastināpura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

No one can transgress the arrangement of the Supreme Lord; His purpose for descending into the Yadu dynasty will inevitably be fulfilled.” Knowing now the mentality of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Akrūra took permission from his dear relatives and friends and returned to Mathurā, where he related everything to Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.49
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yaḥwho
  2. durvimarśainconceivable
  3. pathayāwhose path
  4. nijaby His own
  5. māyayācreative energy
  6. idamthis universe
  7. sṛṣṭvācreating
  8. guṇānits modes
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 10.49

    In this verse: “material”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.49

    In this verse: “death”

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 this prayer deepen my respect for Kṛṣṇa's power and the depth of His pastimes?

Practice

Read this prayer slowly today and offer your obeisances to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.49's connections

Live this todayHonor the Supreme Lord's Inconceivable PowerThis 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 10.49.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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