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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
10.85.4410.85.46

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.85.45

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Balisince 10.85.39inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तन्न: प्रसीद निरपेक्षविमृग्ययुष्मत्-

पादारविन्दधिषणान्यगृहान्धकूपात् ।

निष्क्रम्य विश्वशरणाङ्घ्रय‍ुपलब्धवृत्ति:

शान्तो यथैक उत सर्वसखैश्चरामि ॥ ४५ ॥

tan naḥ prasīda nirapekṣa-vimṛgya-yuṣmat

pādāravinda-dhiṣaṇānya-gṛhāndha-kūpāt

niṣkramya viśva-śaraṇāṅghry-upalabdha-vṛttiḥ

śānto yathaika uta sarva-sakhaiś carāmi

Translation

Please be merciful to me so I may get out of the blind well of family life — my false home — and find the true shelter of Your lotus feet, which selfless sages always seek. Then, either alone or in the company of great saints, who are the friends of everyone, I may wander freely, finding life’s necessities at the feet of the universally charitable trees.

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.

Seek Shelter at the Lord’s Lotus Feet

  1. 1

    Invited by Śrī Kṛṣṇa to choose a benediction, Bali asks for freedom from the entanglement of material life. He wants the Lord’s lotus feet as his only shelter.

  2. 2

    Bali proposes to live simply, taking fruits to eat and leaves to sleep on from the forest trees. These gifts are available for all to use as needed.

  3. 3

    Bali hopes that the Lord’s special mercy will allow him to travel with Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotees rather than alone.

Key points from the purport
  • Bali begs to be relieved of the entanglement of material life so he will be free to leave home and wander in the wilderness, with only the Lord’s lotus feet as his shelter.
  • For his subsistence, Bali proposes, he will take help from the forest trees, at whose feet are fruits to eat and leaves to sleep on, for all to use as needed.
  • And if the Lord is especially merciful to him, Bali hopes, he will not have to wander alone but will be allowed to travel in the company of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotees.

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:

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. Instead, Lord Kṛṣṇa restored that conception by instructing Vasudeva in the science of Godhead, and upon hearing these instructions, Vasudeva became peaceful and free of doubt.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.85
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tatin such a way
  2. naḥto us
  3. prasīdaplease be merciful
  4. nirapekṣaby those who have no material motives
  5. vimṛgyasearched for
  6. yuṣmatYour
  7. pādathan the feet
  8. aravindalotus
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.85

    In this verse: “merciful”, “mercy”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.85

    In this verse: “friends”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.85

    In this verse: “shelter”

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 would it mean for you to seek the Lord’s shelter rather than depend entirely on material comforts?

Practice

Offer a short prayer asking Kṛṣṇa for shelter and the company of His devotees.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeek Shelter at the Lord’s Lotus FeetThis 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 10.85.45? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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