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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 63: Lord Kṛṣṇa Fights with Bāṇāsura
10.63.3310.63.35-36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.63.34

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Rudrasince 10.63.34inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीरुद्र उवाच

त्वं हि ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्गूढं ब्रह्मणि वाङ्‍मये ।

यं पश्यन्त्यमलात्मान आकाशमिव केवलम् ॥ ३४ ॥

śrī-rudra uvāca

tvaṁ hi brahma paraṁ jyotir

gūḍhaṁ brahmaṇi vāṅ-maye

yaṁ paśyanty amalātmāna

ākāśam iva kevalam

Translation

Śrī Rudra said: You alone are the Absolute Truth, the supreme light, the mystery hidden within the verbal manifestation of the Absolute. Those whose hearts are spotless can see You, for You are uncontaminated, like the sky.

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 Pure Heart Sees the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa alone is the Absolute Truth, the source of all light and therefore the self-luminous supreme light. The Vedas explain Him confidentially.

  2. 2

    Those whose hearts are spotless can see the pure Lord. Those whose hearts are impure cannot understand the purity of His form and activities.

  3. 3

    To save his devotee, Śiva glorifies Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord and his eternal worshipable master. The fight is over, and Śiva now offers prayers.

Key points from the purport
  • The Absolute Truth is the source of all light and is therefore the supreme light, self-luminous.
  • The great ācārya Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes a verse from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.10.48) — gūḍhaṁ paraṁ brahma manuṣya-liṅgam — which refers to “the Supreme Truth concealed in a humanlike form.”
  • Thus, to save his devotee, Śiva now glorifies the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, his eternal worshipable master.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 10.63.34 quotesSB 7.10.48

The great ācārya Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes a verse from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.10.48) — gūḍhaṁ paraṁ brahma manuṣya-liṅgam — which refers to “the Supreme Truth concealed in a humanlike form.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 63: Lord Kṛṣṇa Fights with Bāṇāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Śiva-jvara was overwhelmed by the Viṣṇu-jvara; having nowhere else to turn for shelter, the Śiva-jvara began to address Lord Kṛṣṇa, glorifying Him and asking for mercy. Lord Kṛṣṇa was pleased with the Śiva-jvara, and after the Lord had promised him freedom from fear, the Śiva-jvara bowed down to Him and departed.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.63
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-rudraḥ uvācaLord Śiva said
  2. tvamYou
  3. hialone
  4. brahmathe Absolute Truth
  5. paramsupreme
  6. jyotiḥlight
  7. gūḍhamhidden
  8. brahmaṇiin the Absolute
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.63

    In this verse: “absolute truth”, “understand”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.63

    In this verse: “devotee”, “worshipable”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.63

    In this verse: “glorifies”

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 judge Kṛṣṇa through my own impurities rather than recognize His purity?

Practice

Read Śiva’s prayer aloud once, pausing over the words “You alone are the Absolute Truth.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 7.10.48

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.63's connections

Live this todayThe Pure Heart Sees the 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 10.63.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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