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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 8: Lord Kṛṣṇa Shows the Universal Form Within His Mouth
10.8.1410.8.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.8.15

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Garga Munisince 10.8.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बहूनि सन्ति नामानि रूपाणि च सुतस्य ते ।

गुणकर्मानुरूपाणि तान्यहं वेद नो जना: ॥ १५ ॥

bahūni santi nāmāni

rūpāṇi ca sutasya te

guṇa-karmānurūpāṇi

tāny ahaṁ veda no janāḥ

Translation

For this son of yours there are many forms and names according to His transcendental qualities and activities. These are known to me, but people in general do not understand them.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Many Names Reveal His Qualities

  1. 1

    The Lord is one, but He has many forms and names according to His transcendental qualities and activities. These include Bhaktavatsala, Giridhārī, Govinda and Gopāla.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa is known as Mukunda because He wants to give everyone spiritual, eternal, blissful life. He appears in various forms to give living entities transcendental bliss.

  3. 3

    The living entity’s material disease is to use a little independence to oppose Kṛṣṇa’s plan. Although Garga Muni knew what ordinary people did not, even he did not know all of Kṛṣṇa’s names.

Key points from the purport
  • Nonetheless, because Kṛṣṇa wants to give transcendental bliss to the living entities, He appears in various forms.
  • Yet Kṛṣṇa has so many names that even Garga Muni did not know them all.
  • It is to be concluded that Kṛṣṇa, according to His transcendental activities, has many names and many forms.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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

Worry and play → Parental tenderness. The Supreme becomes the beloved child of His devotees.

Chapters 5–11 of Canto 10: Gokula, Yaśodā and the infant Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: Lord Kṛṣṇa Shows the Universal Form Within His Mouth

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

According to His various activities and qualities, He has many other names. After thus informing Nanda Mahārāja and completing the name-giving ceremony, Garga Muni advised Nanda Mahārāja to protect his son very carefully and then departed.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bahūnivarious
  2. santithere are
  3. nāmāninames
  4. rūpāṇiforms
  5. caalso
  6. sutasyaof the son
  7. teyour
  8. guṇa-karma-anu-rūpāṇiaccording to His attributes and activities
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.8

    In this verse: “understand”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.8

    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

Am I willing to receive the spiritual happiness Kṛṣṇa wants to give me?

Practice

Say the name Mukunda slowly today, remembering His desire to give everyone eternal, blissful life.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Many Names Reveal His QualitiesThis 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 10.8.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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