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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 51: The Deliverance of Mucukunda
10.51.3510.51.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.51.36

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Lordsince 10.51.36inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीभगवानुवाच

जन्मकर्माभिधानानि सन्ति मेऽङ्ग सहस्रश: ।

न शक्यन्तेऽनुसङ्ख्यातुमनन्तत्वान्मयापि हि ॥ ३६ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

janma-karmābhidhānāni

santi me ’ṅga sahasraśaḥ

na śakyante ’nusaṅkhyātum

anantatvān mayāpi hi

Translation

The Supreme Lord said: My dear friend, I have taken thousands of births, lived thousands of lives and accepted thousands of names. In fact My births, activities and names are limitless, and thus even I cannot count them.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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 Lord’s Names and Activities Are Limitless

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord warmly addresses Mucukunda as His dear friend.

  2. 2

    He says that He has taken thousands of births, lived thousands of lives and accepted thousands of names.

  3. 3

    His births, activities and names are actually limitless; He says that even He cannot count them.

How it feels

Yearning and danger → Marriage and reciprocity. A wider range of divine relationships appears.

Chapters 50–59 of Canto 10: Dvārakā, Rukmiṇī and royal rescues. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 51: The Deliverance of Mucukunda

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When the demigods had eventually obtained Kārttikeya as their protector, they allowed Mucukunda to retire, offering him any boon other than liberation, which only Lord Viṣṇu can bestow. Mucukunda had chosen from the demigods the benediction of being covered by sleep, and thus since then he had been lying asleep within the cave.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.51
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Lord said
  2. janmabirths
  3. karmaactivities
  4. abhidhānāniand names
  5. santithere are
  6. meMy
  7. aṅgaO dear one
  8. sahasraśaḥby the thousands
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.51

    In this verse: “friend”

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 the Lord’s description challenge the idea that His activities can be fully counted?

Practice

Say Kṛṣṇa’s name with devotion, remembering that the Supreme Lord’s names and activities are limitless.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Names and Activities Are LimitlessThis 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 10.51.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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