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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

10.85.7 10.85.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.85.8

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Vasudevasince 10.85.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तर्पणं प्राणनमपां देवत्वं ताश्च तद्रस: ।

ओज: सहो बलं चेष्टा गतिर्वायोस्तवेश्वर ॥ ८ ॥

tarpaṇaṁ prāṇanam apāṁ

deva tvaṁ tāś ca tad-rasaḥ

ojaḥ saho balaṁ ceṣṭā

gatir vāyos taveśvara

Translation

My Lord, You are water, and also its taste and its capacities to quench thirst and sustain life. You exhibit Your potencies through the manifestations of the air as bodily warmth, vitality, mental power, physical strength, endeavor and movement.

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This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Sustains Life and Strength

1
The Lord is water itself, its taste and its capacity to quench thirst and sustain life.
2
Through the manifestations of air, He exhibits His potencies as bodily warmth and vitality.
3
Mental power, physical strength, endeavor and movement also express His potencies.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.85