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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 84: The Sages’ Teachings at Kurukṣetra
10.84.810.84.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.84.9

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Lordsince 10.84.9inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीभगवानुवाच

अहो वयं जन्मभृतो लब्धं कार्त्स्‍न्येन तत्फलम् ।

देवानामपि दुष्प्रापं यद् योगेश्वरदर्शनम् ॥ ९ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

aho vayaṁ janma-bhṛto

labdhaṁ kārtsnyena tat-phalam

devānām api duṣprāpaṁ

yad yogeśvara-darśanam

Translation

The Supreme Lord said: Now our lives are indeed successful, for we have obtained life’s ultimate goal: the audience of great yoga masters, which even demigods only rarely obtain.

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.

Treasure the Rare Audience of Sages

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord declared that their lives were successful because they had obtained the audience of great yoga masters.

  2. 2

    Even the demigods, despite their privileges as administrators of the universe, rarely see sages such as Nārada and Vyāsadeva.

  3. 3

    Lord Kṛṣṇa identified Himself with the kings and others assembled at Samanta-pañcaka. He spoke on their behalf about the rare blessing of meeting these sages.

Key points from the purport
  • Despite the great privileges the demigods enjoy as administrators of the universe, they rarely see such sages as Nārada and Vyāsadeva.
  • How much rarer, then, must it be for earthly kings and mere cowherds to see them.
  • Here Lord Kṛṣṇa, identifying Himself with all the kings and others who had assembled at Samanta-pañcaka, speaks on their behalf.

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

Humility and separation → Friendship and reunion. The sweetness of relationship outweighs prestige.

Chapters 80–86 of Canto 10: Sudāmā and reunion with the residents of Vraja. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 84: The Sages’ Teachings at Kurukṣetra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lord Kṛṣṇa then said, “Now our lives are successful, for we have obtained the goal of life: the audience of great sages and yoga masters, which even demigods only rarely obtain. The water at a holy place of pilgrimage and the deity forms of the gods can purify one only after a long time, but saintly sages purify just by being seen.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.84
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Lord said
  2. ahoah
  3. vayamwe
  4. janma-bhṛtaḥhaving taken birth successfully
  5. labdhamobtained
  6. kārtsnyenaaltogether
  7. tatof it (one’s birth)
  8. phalamthe fruit
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.84

    In this verse: “kings”, “administrators”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.84

    In this verse: “blessing”

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 value opportunities to meet great devotees as rare blessings?

Practice

Pause today to appreciate one opportunity you have had to meet a spiritually advanced devotee.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTreasure the Rare Audience of SagesThis 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 10.84.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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