1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
10.87.1810.87.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.87.19

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

स्वकृतविचित्रयोनिषु विशन्निव हेतुतया

तरतमतश्चकास्स्यनलवत् स्वकृतानुकृति: ।

अथ वितथास्वमूष्ववितथं तव धाम समं

विरजधियोऽनुयन्त्यभिविपण्यव एकरसम् ॥ १९ ॥

sva-kṛta-vicitra-yoniṣu viśann iva hetutayā

taratamataś cakāssy anala-vat sva-kṛtānukṛtiḥ

atha vitathāsv amūṣv avitathāṁ tava dhāma samaṁ

viraja-dhiyo ’nuyanty abhivipaṇyava eka-rasam

Translation

Apparently entering among the variegated species of living beings You have created, You inspire them to act, manifesting Yourself according to their higher and lower positions, just as fire manifests differently according to the shape of what it burns. Therefore those of spotless intelligence, who are altogether free from material attachments, realize Your undifferentiated, unchanging Self to be the permanent reality among all these impermanent life forms.

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 Indwelling Lord Remains Eternally Unchanged

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord’s energies share His nature while remaining distinct from Him. This is acintya-bhedābheda: inconceivable, simultaneous oneness and difference.

  2. 2

    As the Supersoul, the Lord gives every living being intelligence and inspiration without becoming bound by matter. Like fire appearing differently in different objects, He illuminates each soul’s consciousness according to that soul’s capacity.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa eternally maintains His personal form of pure spiritual pleasure, unchanged by creation and destruction. Those free from material entanglement know Him as He is, and we should seek from them the opportunity to engage in His devotional service.

Key points from the purport
  • After creating the many species of material life, the Supreme Lord expands into His own creation as the Supersoul in order to provide the intelligence and inspiration every living being needs for his day-to-day existence.
  • Analavat sva-kṛtānukṛtiḥ: Just as fire ignited in several objects burns according to the different forms of those objects, so the Supreme Soul, entering the bodies of all living creatures, illuminates the consciousness of each conditioned soul according to his individual capacity.
  • The rare living beings who completely (abhitas) disengage themselves from material dealings, or paṇa (thereby becoming abhivipaṇyavaḥ), come to know the Supreme Lord as He is.

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

The purport of SB 10.87.19 quotesBG 2.12

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.”

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. svaby Yourself
  2. kṛtacreated
  3. vicitravariegated
  4. yoniṣuwithin the species of life
  5. viśanentering
  6. ivaapparently
  7. hetutayāas their motivation
  8. taratamataḥaccording to hierarchies
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 10.87

    In this verse: “attachments”, “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.87

    In this verse: “free from”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”

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 knowing that the Lord remains unchanged help me turn toward His devotional service?

Practice

Today, offer a short prayer asking for the opportunity to serve the Supreme Lord under the guidance of His devotees.

Live this todayThe Indwelling Lord Remains Eternally UnchangedThis 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 10.87.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories