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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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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 85: Lord Kṛṣṇa Instructs Vasudeva and Retrieves Devakī’s Sons
10.85.1410.85.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.85.15

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vasudevasince 10.85.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

गुणप्रवाह एतस्मिन्नबुधास्त्वखिलात्मन: ।

गतिं सूक्ष्मामबोधेन संसरन्तीह कर्मभि: ॥ १५ ॥

guṇa-pravāha etasminn

abudhās tv akhilātmanaḥ

gatiṁ sūkṣmām abodhena

saṁsarantīha karmabhiḥ

Translation

They are truly ignorant who, while imprisoned within the ceaseless flow of this world’s material qualities, fail to know You, the Supreme Soul of all that be, as their ultimate, sublime destination. Because of their ignorance, the entanglement of material work forces such souls to wander in the cycle of birth and death.

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.

Devotional Knowledge Remedies Material Suffering

  1. 1

    A soul who forgets his true identity as a servant of God becomes imprisoned in a succession of material bodies.

  2. 2

    Wrongly identifying with these bodies, the conditioned soul suffers the distress of karmic action and reaction and wanders through birth and death.

  3. 3

    Vasudeva compassionately laments for these suffering souls. Their ignorance can be remedied by knowledge of the principles of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • A soul who forgets his true identity as a servant of God is sent to this world to be imprisoned in a succession of material bodies.
  • Wrongly identifying himself with these bodies, such a conditioned soul suffers the consequent distress of karmic action and reaction.
  • Vasudeva, as a compassionate Vaiṣṇava, laments for the suffering conditioned souls, whose unhappiness, the result of ignorance, can be remedied by knowledge of the principles of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

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 85: Lord Kṛṣṇa Instructs Vasudeva and Retrieves Devakī’s Sons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Having heard the visiting sages glorify Kṛṣṇa, Vasudeva ceased to regard Him and Balarāma as his sons and began praising Their omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After glorifying his sons, Vasudeva fell at Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet and begged Him to drive away the conception that the Lord was his son.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.85
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. guṇaof the material modes
  2. pravāhein the flow
  3. etasminthis
  4. abudhāḥthose who are ignorant
  5. tubut
  6. akhilaof everything
  7. ātmanaḥof the Soul
  8. gatimthe destination
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.85

    In this verse: “compassionately”, “suffering”, “distress”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.85

    In this verse: “material”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.85

    In this verse: “death”

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 would remembering that I am a servant of Kṛṣṇa change one choice today?

Practice

Before one task today, pause and remember your identity as a servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotional Knowledge Remedies Material SufferingThis 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 10.85.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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