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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 87: The Prayers of the Personified Vedas
10.86.5910.87.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.87.1

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 10.87.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीपरीक्षिदुवाच

ब्रह्मन् ब्रह्मण्यनिर्देश्ये निर्गुणे गुणवृत्तय: ।

कथं चरन्ति श्रुतय: साक्षात् सदसत: परे ॥ १ ॥

śrī-parīkṣid uvāca

brahman brahmaṇy anirdeśye

nirguṇe guṇa-vṛttayaḥ

kathaṁ caranti śrutayaḥ

sākṣāt sad-asataḥ pare

Translation

Śrī Parīkṣit said: O brāhmaṇa, how can the Vedas directly describe the Supreme Absolute Truth, who cannot be described in words? The Vedas are limited to describing the qualities of material nature, but the Supreme is devoid of these qualities, being transcendental to all material manifestations and their causes.

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.

How Can Words Describe the Supreme?

  1. 1

    Parīkṣit asks how the Vedas can directly describe the Supreme Absolute Truth, who is beyond material qualities, manifestations and their causes.

  2. 2

    The purport distinguishes literal meanings from secondary, metaphorical meanings. A metaphorical meaning should be accepted only when the literal meaning does not make sense.

  3. 3

    The commentators approach this difficult subject with humility and dependence on their predecessors and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The purport identifies bhakti-yoga as the path of devotional service to the Supreme Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • He asks, kathaṁ sākṣāt caranti: How can the Vedas directly describe Brahman by rūḍha-mukhya-vṛtti, literal meaning based on convention?
  • And how can the Vedas even describe Brahman by gauṇa-vṛtti, metaphor based on similar qualities?
  • Thus King Parīkṣit is puzzled as to how the words of the Vedas can directly describe the Absolute Truth.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 8.5

The following verse was composed by Śrīdhara Svāmī in his commentary on the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.1):

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Awe → Reverent fulfillment. The canto closes with theological wonder.

Chapters 87–90 of Canto 10: The Vedas praise and the Lord's glories conclude. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 87: The Prayers of the Personified Vedas

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

King Parīkṣit asked Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī how the Vedas can directly refer to the Supreme Absolute Truth, Brahman, since the Vedas deal with the material realm governed by the three modes of nature and Brahman is completely transcendental to these modes. In reply, Śukadeva Gosvāmī described an ancient encounter between Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi and Nārada Muni at Badarikāśrama.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.87
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-parīkṣit uvācaŚrī Parīkṣit said
  2. brahmanO brāhmaṇa (Śukadeva)
  3. brahmaṇiin the Absolute Truth
  4. anirdeśyewhich cannot be described in words
  5. nirguṇewhich has no qualities
  6. guṇathe qualities of material nature
  7. vṛttayaḥwhose scope of action
  8. kathamhow
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.87

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “bhakti-yoga”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.87

    In this verse: “absolute truth”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.87

    In this verse: “material”

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 can humility help me study teachings that stretch my understanding?

Practice

Before studying today, offer a brief prayer to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa for help in understanding and serving Him.

5

Connected stories

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

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.87's connections

Live this todayHow Can Words Describe the Supreme?This 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 10.87.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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