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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.87.20

Who is speaking and story frame

स्वकृतपुरेष्वमीष्वबहिरन्तरसंवरणं

तव पुरुषं वदन्त्यखिलशक्तिधृतोंऽशकृतम् ।

इति नृगतिं विविच्य कवयो निगमावपनं

भवत उपासतेऽङ्‍‍घ्रिमभवं भुवि विश्वसिता: ॥ २० ॥

sva-kṛta-pureṣv amīṣv abahir-antara-saṁvaraṇaṁ

tava puruṣaṁ vadanty akhila-śakti-dhṛto ’ṁśa-kṛtam

iti nṛ-gatiṁ vivicya kavayo nigamāvapanaṁ

bhavata upāsate ’ṅghrim abhavam bhuvi viśvasitāḥ

Translation

The individual living entity, while inhabiting the material bodies he has created for himself by his karma, actually remains uncovered by either gross or subtle matter. This is so because, as the Vedas describe, he is part and parcel of You, the possessor of all potencies. Having determined this to be the status of the living entity, learned sages become imbued with faith and worship Your lotus feet, to which all Vedic sacrifices in this world are offered, and which are the source of liberation.

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 Soul Is Meant to Serve Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The jīva soul is never directly touched by gross or subtle material coverings. Beyond mistaken material identities, the soul is a pure spark of divine spirit, a servant of the Supreme Godhead.

  2. 2

    The jīva is an eternal, minute expansion of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not an omnipotent Viṣṇu expansion. The Supreme Lord is the object of worship, and the subordinate soul is meant to be His worshiper.

  3. 3

    Worship of the Lord’s lotus feet is the fully bloomed flower of the tree of Vedic rituals. Such worship brings liberation from material existence and firm faith in the Lord’s mercy, even while one lives in this world.

Key points from the purport
  • Not only does the Supreme Lord remain totally uncontaminated when He resides within the material bodies of the conditioned souls, but even the infinitesimal jīva souls are never directly touched by the coverings of ignorance and lust they acquire while passing through repeated cycles of birth and death.
  • In this prayer, the personified Vedas refer to the finite enjoyer of material bodies (the jīva soul) as an expansion of the transcendental reservoir of all potencies, the Supreme Lord.
  • Understanding this, one should worship the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet; such worship is the fully bloomed flower of the tree of Vedic rituals.

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

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 himself
  2. kṛtacreated
  3. pureṣuin the bodies
  4. amīṣuthese
  5. abahiḥnot externally
  6. antaraor internally
  7. saṁvaraṇamwhose factual envelopment
  8. tavaYour
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”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 10.87

    In this verse: “mercy”

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 seeing myself as Kṛṣṇa’s servant change the importance I give to my bodily identity?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer asking Kṛṣṇa to direct you to the service of His lotus feet.

Live this todayThe Soul Is Meant to Serve KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.87.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.