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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 59: The Killing of the Demon Naraka
10.59.2810.59.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.59.29

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Goddess Bhūmisince 10.59.25inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

त्वं वै सिसृक्षुरज उत्कटं प्रभो

तमो निरोधाय बिभर्ष्यसंवृत: ।

स्थानाय सत्त्वं जगतो जगत्पते

काल: प्रधानं पुरुषो भवान् पर: ॥ २९ ॥

tvaṁ vai sisṛkṣur aja utkaṭaṁ prabho

tamo nirodhāya bibharṣy asaṁvṛtaḥ

sthānāya sattvaṁ jagato jagat-pate

kālaḥ pradhānaṁ puruṣo bhavān paraḥ

Translation

Desiring to create, O unborn master, You increase and then assume the mode of passion. You do likewise with the mode of ignorance when You wish to annihilate the universe and with goodness when You wish to maintain it. Nonetheless, You remain uncovered by these modes. You are time, the pradhāna, and the puruṣa, O Lord of the universe, yet still You are separate and distinct.

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 Lord Remains Beyond Material Modes

  1. 1

    Creation, maintenance and annihilation are described here on a cosmic scale. Passion accompanies creation, goodness maintenance, and ignorance annihilation.

  2. 2

    When a particular cosmic function is carried out, its associated material quality becomes predominant. This is the meaning emphasized by the purport.

  3. 3

    The Lord assumes these modes but remains uncovered by them. He is time, the pradhāna and the puruṣa, yet remains separate and distinct.

Key points from the purport
  • The word jagataḥ in the third line of this verse indicates that the functions of creation, maintenance and annihilation are here mentioned in a cosmic context.
  • The word utkaṭam indicates that when a particular function is being carried out, whether universal creation, maintenance or annihilation, the particular material quality associated with that function becomes predominant.

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

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:

The infallible Supreme Lord manifested Himself in sixteen thousand one hundred separate forms and married each of the sixteen thousand one hundred brides in a different temple. He took up the required activities of household life just like an ordinary person, accepting various kinds of service from each of His many wives.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.59
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamYou
  2. vaiindeed
  3. sisṛkṣuḥdesiring to create
  4. ajaḥunborn
  5. utkaṭamprominent
  6. prabhoO master
  7. tamaḥthe mode of ignorance
  8. nirodhāyafor annihilation
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 10.59

    In this verse: “material”

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

Do I remember that the Lord governs material qualities without being covered by them?

Practice

Read the final two sentences of the translation and reflect for one minute on the Lord’s distinct position.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Remains Beyond Material ModesThis 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 10.59.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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