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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.86.26

Who is speaking and story frame

भगवांस्तदभिप्रेत्य द्वयो: प्रियचिकीर्षया ।

उभयोराविशद् गेहमुभाभ्यां तदलक्षित: ॥ २६ ॥

bhagavāṁs tad abhipretya

dvayoḥ priya-cikīrṣayā

ubhayor āviśad geham

ubhābhyāṁ tad-alakṣitaḥ

Translation

Wanting to please them both, the Lord accepted both their invitations. Thus He simultaneously went to both homes, and neither could see Him entering the other’s house.

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 Supreme Lord Pleases Both Devotees

  1. 1

    Wanting to please both devotees, Kṛṣṇa accepted both invitations and entered both homes simultaneously.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that He manifested duplicate forms, along with the sages. Each host thought the Lord had come only to his house.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Prabhupāda calls this an opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, described as vaibhava-prakāśa.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus King Bahulāśva thought that Lord Kṛṣṇa had come only to his house, leaving Śrutadeva to return home disappointed, while Śrutadeva believed that just the reverse was the case.
  • In Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda remarks: “That [Lord Kṛṣṇa] and His companions were present in both houses, although both the brāhmaṇa and the King thought He was present in his house only, is another opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Similarly, when Lord Kṛṣṇa married sixteen thousand wives, He also expanded Himself into sixteen thousand forms, each one of them as powerful as He Himself.

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 86: Arjuna Kidnaps Subhadrā, and Kṛṣṇa Blesses His Devotees

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

To satisfy both of them, the Lord expanded Himself and went to each of their homes simultaneously. They each worshiped Him suitably, offered prayers, washed His feet and then sprinkled themselves and all their family members with the wash water.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.86
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhagavānthe Supreme Lord
  2. tatthis
  3. abhipretyaaccepting
  4. dvayoḥof the two of them
  5. priyathe pleasing
  6. cikīrṣayāwishing to do
  7. ubhayoḥof both
  8. āviśatHe entered
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.86

    In this verse: “devotees”

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 Lord’s wish to please both devotees strengthen my desire to serve Him?

Practice

Spend a minute remembering Kṛṣṇa’s kindness in accepting both devotees’ invitations.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Pleases Both DevoteesThis 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 10.86.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.