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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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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
10.87.310.87.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.87.4

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.87.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अत्र ते वर्णयिष्यामि गाथां नारायणान्विताम् ।

नारदस्य च संवादमृषेर्नारायणस्य च ॥ ४ ॥

atra te varṇayiṣyāmi

gāthāṁ nārāyaṇānvitām

nāradasya ca saṁvādam

ṛṣer nārāyaṇasya ca

Translation

In this connection I will relate to you a narration concerning the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa. It is about a conversation that once occurred between Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi and Nārada Muni.

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 Is Speaker and Subject

  1. 1

    The narration concerns the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa.

  2. 2

    It recounts a conversation between Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi and Nārada Muni.

  3. 3

    Lord Nārāyaṇa is connected with the narration in two ways: He is its speaker and the subject it describes.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Nārāyaṇa is connected in two ways with the following narration: as its speaker and as the subject it describes.

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, Śukadeva Gosvāmī described an ancient encounter between Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi and Nārada Muni at Badarikāśrama. Traveling to that sacred hermitage, Nārada found the Lord surrounded by exalted residents of the nearby village of Kalāpa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.87
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. atrain this connection
  2. teto you
  3. varṇayiṣyāmiI will relate
  4. gāthāman account
  5. nārāyaṇa-anvitāmconcerning the Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa
  6. nāradasyaof Nārada
  7. caand
  8. saṁvādamthe conversation
  9. ṛṣeḥ nārāyaṇasyaof Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi
  10. caand
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.87

    In this verse: “narration”

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 is both speaker and subject affect my attention?

Practice

Before reading further, recall these two roles of Lord Nārāyaṇa: speaker and subject.

Live this todayThe Lord Is Speaker and SubjectThis 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 10.87.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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