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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 10.60.37

Who is speaking and story frame

निष्किञ्चनो ननु भवान् न यतोऽस्ति किञ्चिद्

यस्मै बलिं बलिभुजोऽपि हरन्त्यजाद्या: ।

न त्वा विदन्त्यसुतृपोऽन्तकमाढ्यतान्धा:

प्रेष्ठो भवान् बलिभुजामपि तेऽपि तुभ्यम् ॥ ३७ ॥

niṣkiñcano nanu bhavān na yato ’sti kiñcid

yasmai baliṁ bali-bhujo ’pi haranty ajādyāḥ

na tvā vidanty asu-tṛpo ’ntakam āḍhyatāndhāḥ

preṣṭho bhavān bali-bhujām api te ’pi tubhyam

Translation

You possess nothing because there is nothing beyond You. Even the great enjoyers of tribute — Brahmā and other demigods — pay tribute to You. Those who are blinded by their wealth and absorbed in gratifying their senses do not recognize You in the form of death. But to the gods, the enjoyers of tribute, You are the most dear, as they are to You.

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.

Everything Belongs Within Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa possesses nothing outside Himself because He is the Absolute Truth: everything exists within Him. This means He possesses all opulence, not that He is poor.

  2. 2

    Even Brahmā and the other wealthy demigods offer tribute to the Supreme Lord. Worshipers offer His own energy back to Him, and what matters is their love.

  3. 3

    Those blinded by wealth and absorbed in bodily enjoyment fail to recognize Him as death. The demigods, however, regularly worship Him and are dear to Him.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus in the ordinary sense niṣkiñcana means “one who does not have something,” or, in other words, “one who has nothing.”
  • Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa is called niṣkiñcana to refute the idea that He possesses merely a certain amount of beauty, fame, wealth, intelligence and other opulences.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa is not merely a supreme being: He is the absolute being, and that is exactly the point His wife is making.

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

Conflict and affection → Devotional wonder. Divine intimacy coexists with royal duties.

Chapters 60–69 of Canto 10: Palace life, family bonds and heroic protection. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 60: Lord Kṛṣṇa Teases Queen Rukmiṇī.

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Besides, I transgress worldly morality, and because I own nothing I am dear to other paupers. Certainly the well-to-do would not worship one such as Me.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.60
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. niṣkiñcanaḥwithout possessions
  2. nanuindeed
  3. bhavānYou
  4. nanot
  5. yataḥbeyond whom
  6. astithere is
  7. kiñcitanything
  8. yasmaito whom
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 10.60

    In this verse: “wealth”, “wealthy”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “death”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.60

    In this verse: “love”

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 would remembering that everything is Kṛṣṇa’s change my attitude toward my possessions?

Practice

Make one small offering to Kṛṣṇa today, remembering that you are returning His own energy with love.

5

Connected stories

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

Live this todayEverything Belongs Within KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.60.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.