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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.85.54

Who is speaking and story frame

अपाययत् स्तनं प्रीता सुतस्पर्शपरिस्‍नुतम् ।

मोहिता मायया विष्णोर्यया सृष्टि: प्रवर्तते ॥ ५४ ॥

apāyayat stanaṁ prītā

suta-sparśa-parisnutam

mohitā māyayā viṣṇor

yayā sṛṣṭiḥ pravartate

Translation

Lovingly she let her sons drink from her breast, which became wet with milk just by their touch. She was entranced by the same illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu that initiates the creation of the universe.

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.

Yoga-māyā Arranges the Lord’s Pastimes

  1. 1

    Devakī lovingly nursed her sons, and their touch caused her milk to flow.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that creation here can also mean the creative process by which Lord Viṣṇu’s Yoga-māyā arranges His pastimes.

  3. 3

    Mother Devakī is not affected by the material aspect of Māyā. Her experience belongs to the settings and situations arranged by the Lord’s Yoga-māyā.

Key points from the purport
  • In the opinion of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the word sṛṣṭi can here also refer to the creative process by which Lord Viṣṇu’s Yoga-māyā arranges the settings and situations of His pastimes.
  • There is indeed no question of Mother Devakī being affected by the material aspect of Māyā.

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:

The Lords received the boys from Bali and returned them to Devakī who felt such a surge of affection for them that milk began spontaneously flowing from her breasts. Overjoyed, Devakī fed the children her breastmilk, and by drinking the remnants of milk once drunk by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, they regained their original forms as demigods and went back to heaven.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.85
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. apāyayatshe let them drink
  2. stanamfrom her breast
  3. prītālovingly
  4. sutaof her sons
  5. sparśabecause of the touch
  6. parisnutamdrenched
  7. mohitābewildered
  8. māyayāby the illusory energy
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “māyā”, “material”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.85

    In this verse: “mother”

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 does the purport clarify your understanding of Devakī’s being entranced?

Practice

Write one sentence distinguishing Yoga-māyā’s arrangement of the Lord’s pastimes from material bewilderment.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayYoga-māyā Arranges the Lord’s PastimesThis 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 10.85.54? Get an answer from the verses themselves.