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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 86: Arjuna Kidnaps Subhadrā, and Kṛṣṇa Blesses His Devotees
10.86.4710.86.49

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.86.48

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrutadevasince 10.86.44inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नमोऽस्तु तेऽध्यात्मविदां परात्मने

अनात्मने स्वात्मविभक्तमृत्यवे ।

सकारणाकारणलिङ्गमीयुषे

स्वमाययासंवृतरुद्धद‍ृष्टये ॥ ४८ ॥

namo ’stu te ’dhyātma-vidāṁ parātmane

anātmane svātma-vibhakta-mṛtyave

sa-kāraṇākāraṇa-liṅgam īyuṣe

sva-māyayāsaṁvṛta-ruddha-dṛṣṭaye

Translation

Let me offer my obeisances unto You. You are realized as the Supreme Soul by those who know the Absolute Truth, whereas in Your form of time You impose death upon the forgetful souls. You appear both in Your causeless spiritual form and in the created form of this universe, thus simultaneously uncovering the eyes of Your devotees and obstructing the vision of the nondevotees.

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.

Devotion Uncovers Vision of the Lord

  1. 1

    When the Lord appears before His devotees in His eternal, spiritual form, all traces of illusion are dispelled. They behold the beautiful Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    For nondevotees, the Lord appears as material nature, His universal form. His spiritual, personal form remains invisible to them.

  3. 3

    Those who know the Absolute Truth realize Him as the Supreme Soul, while forgetful souls meet Him as death in His form of time.

Key points from the purport
  • When the Lord appears before His devotees in His eternal, spiritual form, their eyes become “uncovered” in the sense that all vestiges of illusion are dispelled and they drink in the beautiful vision of the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead.
  • For the nondevotees, on the other hand, the Lord “appears” as material nature, His universal form, and in this way He covers their vision so that His spiritual, personal form remains invisible to them.
  • The devotees of the Lord who are in the reciprocal mood of neutral admiration (śānta-rasa) meditate on the Supreme as possessing a divine, personal form (ātmā or śrī-vigraha) transcending all aspects of material illusion.

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. namaḥobeisances
  2. astumay there be
  3. teunto You
  4. adhyātmathe Absolute Truth
  5. vidāmfor those who know
  6. para-ātmanethe Supreme Soul
  7. anātmaneto the conditioned jīva soul
  8. sva-ātmafrom Yourself (in the form of time)
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.86

    In this verse: “illusion”, “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.86

    In this verse: “death”

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

Do I value seeing the Lord’s spiritual, personal form more than merely observing material nature?

Practice

Offer obeisances to the Lord and reflect for a moment on His eternal, spiritual form.

Live this todayDevotion Uncovers Vision of the LordThis 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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