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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 85: Lord Kṛṣṇa Instructs Vasudeva and Retrieves Devakī’s Sons
10.85.810.85.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.85.9

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

दिशां त्वमवकाशोऽसि दिश: खं स्फोट आश्रय: ।

नादो वर्णस्त्वम् ॐकार आकृतीनां पृथक्कृति: ॥ ९ ॥

diśāṁ tvam avakāśo ’si

diśaḥ khaṁ sphoṭa āśrayaḥ

nādo varṇas tvam oṁkāra

ākṛtīnāṁ pṛthak-kṛtiḥ

Translation

You are the directions and their accommodating capacity, the all-pervading ether and the elemental sound residing within it. You are the primeval, unmanifested form of sound; the first syllable, om; and audible speech, by which sound, as words, acquires particular references.

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.

The Lord and the Stages of Speech

  1. 1

    Vasudeva identifies the Lord with the directions, their accommodating capacity, ether and the elemental sound within it.

  2. 2

    The Lord is the primeval unmanifested sound, the first syllable, om, and audible speech that gives words particular references.

  3. 3

    Speech develops from subtle inner impulse to outward expression. The Ṛg Veda describes four stages: three remain hidden within the heart, and the fourth is ordinarily heard as speech.

Key points from the purport
  • In accordance with the general process of creation, speech always becomes audible in stages, which proceed from subtle inner impulse to outward expression.
  • These stages are mentioned in the mantras of the Ṛg Veda (1.164.45):
  • Three of these remain hidden within the heart as imperceptible vibrations, while the fourth stage is what people ordinarily understand as speech.”

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. diśāmof the directions
  2. tvamYou
  3. avakāśaḥthe power to accommodate
  4. asiare
  5. diśaḥthe directions
  6. khamthe ether
  7. sphoṭaḥelemental sound
  8. āśrayaḥhaving (ether) as its basis
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.85

    In this verse: “heard”

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 changes when I remember the Lord’s connection with speech before I speak?

Practice

Before one conversation, pause to notice the inner impulse that precedes your spoken words.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord and the Stages of SpeechThis 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.

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