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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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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.59.27

Who is speaking and story frame

नमो भगवते तुभ्यं वासुदेवाय विष्णवे ।

पुरुषायादिबीजाय पूर्णबोधाय ते नम: ॥ २७ ॥

namo bhagavate tubhyaṁ

vāsudevāya viṣṇave

puruṣāyādi-bījāya

pūrṇa-bodhāya te namaḥ

Translation

Obeisances unto You, the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva, Viṣṇu, the primeval person, the original seed. Obeisances unto You, the omniscient one.

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.

Honor the Original, All-Knowing Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The prayer offers obeisances to the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva, Viṣṇu. These names address the same supreme person.

  2. 2

    He is the primeval person and the original seed. The prayer honors Him as the original source.

  3. 3

    He is omniscient: He knows everything. The verse responds to His greatness with repeated obeisances.

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 59: The Killing of the Demon Naraka

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Indra had originally come to Lord Kṛṣṇa offering obeisances and begging Him to kill Narakāsura, but afterwards, when his business had been accomplished, he quarreled with the Lord. The demigods are prone to anger because they become intoxicated with pride in their opulences.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.59
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. namaḥobeisances
  2. bhagavateto the Supreme Godhead
  3. tubhyamunto You
  4. vāsudevāyaLord Vāsudeva, the shelter of all created beings
  5. viṣṇaveall-pervading Lord Viṣṇu
  6. puruṣāyathe primeval person
  7. ādioriginal
  8. bījāyathe seed
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

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 the Lord as the original, all-knowing person shape my prayer?

Practice

Offer one respectful prayer to Vāsudeva, acknowledging Him as the original source.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHonor the Original, All-Knowing Supreme LordThis 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 10.59.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.