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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
10.59.2910.59.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.59.30

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

अहं पयो ज्योतिरथानिलो नभो

मात्राणि देवा मन इन्द्रियाणि ।

कर्ता महानित्यखिलं चराचरं

त्वय्यद्वितीये भगवन्नयं भ्रम: ॥ ३० ॥

ahaṁ payo jyotir athānilo nabho

mātrāṇi devā mana indriyāṇi

kartā mahān ity akhilaṁ carācaraṁ

tvayy advitīye bhagavan ayaṁ bhramaḥ

Translation

This is illusion: that earth, water, fire, air, ether, sense objects, demigods, mind, the senses, false ego and the total material energy exist independent of You. In fact, they are all within You, my Lord, who are one without a second.

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.

Creation Depends Entirely on the Lord

  1. 1

    It is illusion to think that the elements, mind, senses or material energy exist independently of the Lord. His creation always rests within Him, although He remains unique and distinct.

  2. 2

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains this simultaneous oneness and difference through the sun and its rays. They form one reality, yet the sun globe and sunshine can be distinguished.

  3. 3

    Everything is the Lord’s potency, but not everything can act like God. He gives living beings free will, making them responsible for the moral and spiritual quality of their choices.

Key points from the purport
  • The earth-goddess, in her prayers, directly touches upon the subtleties of transcendental philosophy, clarifying that although the Supreme Lord is unique and distinct from His creation, His creation has no independent existence and always rests within Him.
  • Thus the Lord and His creation are simultaneously one and different, as explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu five hundred years ago.
  • On the other hand, there is a real sense in which all things are one, for everything is part of the same supreme, absolute reality.

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 Lord sent them to Dvārakā along with a great quantity of treasure and then went with Queen Satyabhāmā to the abode of Indra. There He returned Aditi’s earrings, and Indra and his wife, Śacīdevī, worshiped Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.59
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ahammyself (earth)
  2. payaḥwater
  3. jyotiḥfire
  4. athaand
  5. anilaḥair
  6. nabhaḥether
  7. mātrāṇithe various sense objects (corresponding to each of the five gross elements)
  8. devāḥthe demigods
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: “illusion”, “material”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.59

    In this verse: “false ego”

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 can I use my freedom responsibly while remembering my dependence on the Lord?

Practice

Before one decision today, pause and choose what supports your devotional service to the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCreation Depends Entirely on the 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 10.59.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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