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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
10.87.2810.87.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.87.29

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

स्थिरचरजातय: स्युरजयोत्थनिमित्तयुजो

विहर उदीक्षया यदि परस्य विमुक्त तत: ।

न हि परमस्य कश्चिदपरो न परश्च भवेद्

वियत इवापदस्य तव शून्यतुलां दधत: ॥ २९ ॥

sthira-cara-jātayaḥ syur ajayottha-nimitta-yujo

vihara udīkṣayā yadi parasya vimukta tataḥ

na hi paramasya kaścid aparo na paraś ca bhaved

viyata ivāpadasya tava śūnya-tulāṁ dadhataḥ

Translation

O eternally liberated, transcendental Lord, Your material energy causes the various moving and nonmoving species of life to appear by activating their material desires, but only when and if You sport with her by briefly glancing at her. You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, see no one as an intimate friend and no one as a stranger, just as the ethereal sky has no connection with perceptible qualities. In this sense You resemble a void.

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 Never Forgets Any Soul

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is free from material desire, envy and need. He turns toward material creation only to help draw lost souls back into loving life with His pure devotees.

  2. 2

    By the Lord’s brief glance, His material energy awakens and provides bodies and circumstances for conditioned souls. These arrangements give them the facilities they desire and deserve as they attempt to live independently of Him.

  3. 3

    The Lord has equal concern for every soul, with nothing to gain from favoring friends over opponents. Even when we try to forget Him, He never forgets us and continues to provide necessities and unseen guidance.

Key points from the purport
  • The Personality of Godhead has no interest in material affairs, since He has nothing to gain from the petty pleasures of this world and is altogether free from any contamination of envy or lust.
  • Therefore the only reason He ever turns to the business of material creation is to help draw lost souls back into this inner circle of eternal enjoyment.
  • The merciful Lord agrees to let them learn in their own way, and so He glances at Mahā-māyā, His energy of material creation.

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:

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. sthirastationary
  2. caraand moving
  3. jātayaḥspecies of life
  4. syuḥbecome manifest
  5. ajayāwith the material energy
  6. utthaawakened
  7. nimittatheir motivations for activity (and the subtle bodies activated by such)
  8. yujaḥassuming
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.87

    In this verse: “friend”, “friends”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

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 never forgets me affect my desire to turn toward Him?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer asking the Lord to free you from material entanglement and draw you toward loving service.

Live this todayThe Lord Never Forgets Any SoulThis 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 10.87.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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