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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 10.87.27

Who is speaking and story frame

तव परि ये चरन्त्यखिलसत्त्वनिकेततया

त उत पदाक्रमन्त्यविगणय्य शिरो निर्ऋतेः ।

परिवयसे पशूनिव गिरा विबुधानपि तां-

स्त्वयि कृतसौहृदा: खलु पुनन्ति न ये विमुखा: ॥ २७ ॥

tava pari ye caranty akhila-sattva-niketatayā

ta uta padākramanty avigaṇayya śiro nirṛteḥ

parivayase paśūn iva girā vibudhān api tāṁs

tvayi kṛta-sauhṛdāḥ khalu punanti na ye vimukhāḥ

Translation

The devotees who worship You as the shelter of all beings disregard Death and place their feet on his head. But with the words of the Vedas You bind the nondevotees like animals, though they be vastly learned scholars. It is Your affectionate devotees who can purify themselves and others, not those who are inimical to You.

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.

Loving Service Opens the Way to Realization

  1. 1

    The soul is a minute spiritual person, dependent on the Supreme Lord and liable to come under material control. Only devotional service restores the soul to the shelter of the Lord’s internal energy.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is obtained through unalloyed devotional service with full faith. His affectionate devotees can purify themselves and others, and confidence in His protection frees them from fear of death.

  3. 3

    Scholarship and argument alone cannot bring direct realization of the Lord. He reveals His personal form by His favor to those who turn toward Him in loving service.

Key points from the purport
  • He can end his suffering and regain the shelter of the Supreme Lord’s divine, internal energy only by rendering devotional service to the Lord, not by engaging in fruitive work, mental speculation or any other process.
  • But are only devotees of the Supreme Lord eligible for liberation from the fear of death?
  • As a general rule, only the devotees who faithfully render loving service unto the Supreme Lord up to the point of complete purification receive His grace in the form of aparokṣa-jñāna, direct realization of His greatness and wonderful compassion.

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 10.87.27 quotesSB 11.14.21

By engaging in such pure devotional service, even the dog-eaters can purify themselves from the contamination of their low birth.”

The purport of SB 10.87.27 quotesSB 7.1.11

And the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.1.11) refers to the Supreme Lord as pradhāna-pumbhyāṁ naradeva satya-kṛt, “the creator of a real universe of matter and living entities.”

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:

The residents of Janaloka were perfectly satisfied upon hearing Sanandana recite the prayers of the personified Vedas, which enlightened them about the true nature of the Supreme Absolute Truth, and they honored Sanandana with their worship. Nārada Muni was equally satisfied to hear this account from Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.87
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tavaYou
  2. pari ye carantiwho worship
  3. akhilaof all
  4. sattvacreated entities
  5. niketatayāas the shelter
  6. tethey
  7. utasimply
  8. padāwith their feet
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”, “worship”, “devotional service”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “death”, “fear”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.87

    In this verse: “purify”

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 approaching Kṛṣṇa mainly to gain knowledge, or with a desire to serve Him and receive His mercy?

Practice

Before studying today, pause and ask Kṛṣṇa for mercy to understand how to serve Him.

Live this todayLoving Service Opens the Way to RealizationThis 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 10.87.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.