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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 87: The Prayers of the Personified Vedas
10.87.12-1310.87.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.87.14

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The śrutissince 10.87.14inside 5 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārāyaṇa Ṛṣi → Nārada MuniSanandana Kumāra → the sages of JanalokaThe personified Vedas → the Supreme Lord

श्रीश्रुतय ऊचु:

जय जय जह्यजामजित दोषगृभीतगुणां

त्वमसि यदात्मना समवरुद्धसमस्तभग: ।

अगजगदोकसामखिलशक्त्यवबोधक ते

क्व‍‍चिदजयात्मना च चरतोऽनुचरेन्निगम: ॥ १४ ॥

śrī-śrutaya ūcuḥ

jaya jaya jahy ajām ajita doṣa-gṛbhīta-guṇāṁ

tvam asi yad ātmanā samavaruddha-samasta-bhagaḥ

aga-jagad-okasām akhila-śakty-avabodhaka te

kvacid ajayātmanā ca carato ’nucaren nigamaḥ

Translation

The śrutis said: Victory, victory to You, O unconquerable one! By Your very nature You are perfectly full in all opulences; therefore please defeat the eternal power of illusion, who assumes control over the modes of nature to create difficulties for conditioned souls. O You who awaken all the energies of the moving and nonmoving embodied beings, sometimes the Vedas can recognize You as You sport with Your material and spiritual potencies.

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 Awakens Our Devotional Service

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord is unconquerable and perfectly full in all opulences. Māyā bewilders conditioned souls into identifying with their material bodies, but she cannot conquer Him.

  2. 2

    The śrutis ask the Lord to destroy the living beings’ ignorance and attract them to His lotus feet. Removing ignorance alone is not enough: He is attainable only through devotional service.

  3. 3

    By His mercy, the Lord awakens the ability to pursue knowledge, mystic yoga and devotional service. Among the śrutis, those emphasizing pure devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead are supreme.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord says, “But Māyā, who imposes ignorance on the jīvas, is full of good qualities [ gṛbhīta-guṇām].
  • Thus endowed with authority by their personal association with the Supreme Lord, the śrutis promulgate the processes of karma, jñāna, yoga and bhakti as various means for the conditioned souls to employ their intelligence, senses, mind and vitality in search of the Absolute Truth.
  • Please defeat the influence of Your eternal Māyā, who covers all moving and nonmoving creatures and who rules over the modes of 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.

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 10.87.14 quotesSB 11.14.21

As the Lord states in His own words, bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ: “I am attainable only through devotional service.”

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 15.180

This verse is taken from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.14).

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-śrutayaḥ ūcuḥthe Vedas said
  2. jayajayavictory to You, victory to You
  3. jahiplease defeat
  4. ajāmthe eternal illusory potency of Māyā
  5. ajitaO unconquerable one
  6. doṣato create discrepancies
  7. gṛbhītawho has assumed
  8. guṇāmthe qualities of matter
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “illusion”, “material”, “māyā”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

Am I seeking only relief from confusion, or also the opportunity to serve the Lord?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer asking the Supreme Lord to remove your ignorance and awaken your desire for devotional service.

5

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 11.14.21

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

Live this todayThe Lord Awakens Our Devotional ServiceThis 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 10.87.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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