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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
10.8.37-3910.8.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.8.40

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Mother Yaśodāsince 10.8.40inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

किं स्वप्न एतदुत देवमाया

किं वा मदीयो बत बुद्धिमोह: ।

अथो अमुष्यैव ममार्भकस्य

य: कश्चनौत्पत्तिक आत्मयोग: ॥ ४० ॥

kiṁ svapna etad uta devamāyā

kiṁ vā madīyo bata buddhi-mohaḥ

atho amuṣyaiva mamārbhakasya

yaḥ kaścanautpattika ātma-yogaḥ

Translation

[Mother Yaśodā began to argue within herself:] Is this a dream, or is it an illusory creation by the external energy? Has this been manifested by my own intelligence, or is it some mystic power of my child?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Yaśodā Considers Her Son’s Mystic Power

  1. 1

    Mother Yaśodā wondered whether the vision was a dream. She rejected this possibility because her eyes were open and she was actually seeing it.

  2. 2

    She considered illusion and bewilderment but found neither explanation convincing. She saw no reason for the demigods to bewilder her and knew she was healthy and able to think.

  3. 3

    She finally concluded that the vision must be due to her son’s mystic power, as predicted by Garga Muni. It was her son’s activity, and nothing else.

Key points from the purport
  • When mother Yaśodā saw this wonderful manifestation within the mouth of her child, she began to argue within herself about whether it was a dream.
  • Then mother Yaśodā considered whether the vision might be due to bewilderment: “I am fit in health; I am not diseased.
  • Thus she finally concluded that the vision was due to her son’s activities, and nothing else.

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:

The most wonderful of these occurred when Kṛṣṇa’s playmates complained to mother Yaśodā that Kṛṣṇa was eating earth. Mother Yaśodā wanted to open Kṛṣṇa’s mouth to see the evidence so that she could chastise Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kimwhether
  2. svapnaḥa dream
  3. etatall this
  4. utaor otherwise
  5. deva-māyāan illusory manifestation by the external energy
  6. kim vāor else
  7. madīyaḥmy personal
  8. bataindeed
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.8

    In this verse: “yaśodā”, “mother”, “child”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “illusion”

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

What helps you follow mother Yaśodā’s movement from uncertainty to her conclusion?

Practice

Write one sentence summarizing mother Yaśodā’s final conclusion about the vision.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayYaśodā Considers Her Son’s Mystic PowerThis 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 10.8.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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