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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 10.87.18

Who is speaking and story frame

उदरमुपासते य ऋषिवर्त्मसु कूर्पद‍ृश:

परिसरपद्धतिं हृदयमारुणयो दहरम् ।

तत उदगादनन्त तव धाम शिर: परमं

पुनरिह यत् समेत्य न पतन्ति कृतान्तमुखे ॥ १८ ॥

udaram upāsate ya ṛṣi-vartmasu kūrpa-dṛśaḥ

parisara-paddhatiṁ hṛdayam āruṇayo daharam

tata udagād ananta tava dhāma śiraḥ paramaṁ

punar iha yat sametya na patanti kṛtānta-mukhe

Translation

Among the followers of the methods set forth by great sages, those with less refined vision worship the Supreme as present in the region of the abdomen, while the Āruṇis worship Him as present in the heart, in the subtle center from which all the prāṇic channels emanate. From there, O unlimited Lord, these worshipers raise their consciousness upward to the top of the head, where they can perceive You directly. Then, passing through the top of the head toward the supreme destination, they reach that place from which they will never again fall to this world, into the mouth of death.

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.

Worship the Supreme Lord Within the Heart

  1. 1

    Authentic methods of yoga aim at meditation on the Supersoul, Paramātmā, who resides in the heart alongside the individual soul. His presence there is subtle and difficult to perceive.

  2. 2

    Beginning meditators may focus on the Lord’s presence in the abdomen, while the Āruṇis worship Him as the soul’s indwelling companion in the heart. He gives the soul knowledge and practical intelligence.

  3. 3

    Although meditational yoga is gradual and offers opportunities for distraction, when followed perfectly it can bear the fruit of pure devotion. These perfected worshipers reach the Lord’s kingdom, from which they need not return to rebirth.

Key points from the purport
  • This manifestation of Paramātmā in the heart is very subtle and difficult to perceive (daharam), and thus only advanced yogīs can realize Him there.
  • The superior yogīs known as Āruṇis, on the other hand, worship the Supersoul in His form as the indwelling companion of the jīva in the heart, the Lord who endows His dependent with the power of knowledge and inspires him with all varieties of practical intelligence.
  • When these passageways have been sufficiently purified, the Āruṇi yogīs can leave the heart region and go upward to the cakra at the roof of the brain.

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· 3

The purport of SB 10.87.18 quotesBG 15.14

“I am the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living entities, and I join with the air of life, outgoing and incoming, to digest the four kinds of food.”

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 24.166

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.18).

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 24.213

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.18).

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:

In reply, Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi related an account of how this very question had been discussed long ago among the great sages living on Janaloka. Once these sages, feeling inquisitive about the nature of the Absolute Truth, chose Sanandana Kumāra to speak on the subject.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.87
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. udaramthe abdomen
  2. upāsateworship
  3. yewho
  4. ṛṣiof sages
  5. vartmasuaccording to the standard methods
  6. kūrpagross
  7. dṛśaḥtheir vision
  8. parisarafrom which all the prāṇic channels emanate
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worship”, “devotion”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.87

    In this verse: “death”

  • 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

How might remembering the Lord as my indwelling companion change my attitude toward worship?

Practice

Pause for one minute today to remember and worship Kṛṣṇa in His expansion as Paramātmā, the Lord within the heart.

Live this todayWorship the Supreme Lord Within the HeartThis 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 10.87.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.