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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 63: Lord Kṛṣṇa Fights with Bāṇāsura
10.63.3710.63.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.63.38

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

त्वमेक आद्य: पुरुषोऽद्वितीय-

स्तुर्य: स्वद‍ृग् धेतुरहेतुरीश: ।

प्रतीयसेऽथापि यथाविकारं

स्वमायया सर्वगुणप्रसिद्ध्यै ॥ ३८ ॥

tvam eka ādyaḥ puruṣo ’dvitīyas

turyaḥ sva-dṛg dhetur ahetur īśaḥ

pratīyase ’thāpi yathā-vikāraṁ

sva-māyayā sarva-guṇa-prasiddhyai

Translation

You are the original person, one without a second, transcendental and self-manifesting. Uncaused, you are the cause of all, and You are the ultimate controller. You are nonetheless perceived in terms of the transformations of matter effected by Your illusory energy — transformations You sanction so that the various material qualities can fully manifest.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Cause Without a Cause

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the original person, transcendental and without an equal. He is the cause of everything, yet has no cause, and therefore is the supreme controller.

  2. 2

    The Lord and the living beings are qualitatively one but quantitatively different. His spiritual consciousness is infinite, while ours is infinitesimal and subject to being covered by illusion.

  3. 3

    Our conditioned intelligence, mind and senses lead us to perceive the Supreme Lord differently. Material creation allows conditioned souls to attempt enjoyment without God and finally understand the futility of that attempt.

Key points from the purport
  • Actually, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the essence of the puruṣa incarnation because He is turīya, as described in the present verse.
  • Being conditioned souls, we are covered by different configurations of material nature, and thus we describe the Supreme Truth or the Supreme Lord in terms of our corrupted vision.
  • Yet even the covering qualities of material nature, such as our conditioned intelligence, mind and senses, are real (being the potency of the Supreme Lord), and therefore through all things we can perceive, in a more or less subjective way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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 63: Lord Kṛṣṇa Fights with Bāṇāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Next Bāṇāsura returned and attacked Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa again, wielding all kinds of weapons in his thousand hands. But Lord Kṛṣṇa took His Sudarśana disc and began cutting off all the demon’s arms.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.63
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamYou
  2. ekaḥone
  3. ādyaḥoriginal
  4. puruṣaḥSupreme Person
  5. advitīyaḥwithout a second
  6. turyaḥtranscendental
  7. sva-dṛkself-manifesting
  8. hetuḥthe cause
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 10.63

    In this verse: “material”, “illusion”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understand”

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

Where might my desire to enjoy without God be shaping my understanding of reality?

Practice

Pause before one pleasure-seeking choice today and reflect on whether you are trying to enjoy without God.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Cause Without a CauseThis 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 10.63.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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