1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

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
10.63.3810.63.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.63.39

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

यथैव सूर्य: पिहितश्छायया स्वया

छायां च रूपाणि च सञ्चकास्ति ।

एवं गुणेनापिहितो गुणांस्त्व-

मात्मप्रदीपो गुणिनश्च भूमन् ॥ ३९ ॥

yathaiva sūryaḥ pihitaś chāyayā svayā

chāyāṁ ca rūpāṇi ca sañcakāsti

evaṁ guṇenāpihito guṇāṁs tvam

ātma-pradīpo guṇinaś ca bhūman

Translation

O almighty one, just as the sun, though hidden by a cloud, illuminates the cloud and all other visible forms as well, so You, although hidden by the material qualities, remain self-luminous and thus reveal all those qualities, along with the living entities who possess them.

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 Illuminates Even His Covering Potency

  1. 1

    The sun produces clouds through its energy, and those clouds cover our vision of the sun. Yet sunlight lets us see the clouds and other visible things.

  2. 2

    Similarly, the Lord expands His illusory potency, which prevents us from directly seeing Him. He alone reveals that covering potency, the material world.

  3. 3

    The Lord remains self-luminous. The reality of His existence makes all things visible, including material qualities and the living beings who possess them.

Key points from the purport
  • Yet it is the sun that allows us to see the clouds and all other things as well.
  • Similarly, the Lord expands His illusory potency and thus prevents us from directly seeing Him.
  • Yet it is God alone who reveals to us His covering potency — namely, the material world — and thus the Lord is ātma-pradīpa, “self-luminous.”

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. yathā evajust as
  2. sūryaḥthe sun
  3. pihitaḥcovered
  4. chāyayāby the shade
  5. svayāits own
  6. chāyāmthe shade
  7. caand
  8. rūpāṇivisible forms
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”

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 does the sun-and-cloud analogy help me distinguish my limited vision from the Lord’s reality?

Practice

Look at the daylight today and recall that even what hides the Lord from our vision depends on Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Illuminates Even His Covering PotencyThis 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 10.63.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories