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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
10.87.3910.87.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.87.40

Mukti· Liberation
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

त्वदवगमी न वेत्ति भवदुत्थशुभाशुभयो-

र्गुणविगुणान्वयांस्तर्हि देहभृतां च गिर: ।

अनुयुगमन्वहं सगुण गीतपरम्परया

श्रवणभृतो यतस्त्वमपवर्गगतिर्मनुजै: ॥ ४० ॥

tvad avagamī na vetti bhavad-uttha-śubhāśubhayor

guṇa-viguṇānvayāṁs tarhi deha-bhṛtāṁ ca giraḥ

anu-yugam anv-ahaṁ sa-guṇa gīta-paramparayā

śravaṇa-bhṛto yatas tvam apavarga-gatir manu-jaiḥ

Translation

When a person realizes You, he no longer cares about his good and bad fortune arising from past pious and sinful acts, since it is You alone who control this good and bad fortune. Such a realized devotee also disregards what ordinary living beings say about him. Every day he fills his ears with Your glories, which are recited in each age by the unbroken succession of Manu’s descendants, and thus You become his ultimate salvation.

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.

Hear the Lord’s Glories Every Day

  1. 1

    Pure devotees constantly hear and chant about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Holding firmly to His lotus feet in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they work only for His pleasure rather than becoming absorbed in good or bad fortune.

  2. 2

    A humble Vaiṣṇava absorbed in glorifying the Lord pays little attention to personal praise and accepts criticism as appropriate. Others’ opinions do not displace the pleasure of devotional service.

  3. 3

    Authorized glorification comes through faithful hearing from the disciplic succession of saintly Vaiṣṇavas. The Lord is merciful even to a beginning devotee who falls because of past bad habits; He does not reject that devotee.

Key points from the purport
  • One receives the authorized chanting of the Supreme Lord’s glories by faithfully hearing from “the sons of Manu,” the disciplic succession of saintly Vaiṣṇavas coming down through the ages.
  • Even if the residents of that place fail to properly cultivate the religious principles that one should observe in the holy land, they still become devoted to Me just by virtue of living there.
  • Or else, just as good, please give me a taste for hearing and chanting about You.

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 10.87.40 quotesSB 3.22.35

“Although Svāyambhuva’s life gradually came to an end, his long life, consisting of a manvantara era, was not spent in vain, since he always engaged in hearing, contemplating, writing down and chanting the pastimes of the Lord.”

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.88.8

As the Bhāgavatam (10.87.40) states, bhavad-uttha-śubhāśubhayoḥ: A mature devotee recognizes the superficially good and bad conditions he encounters as signs of the direct guidance of his ever well-wishing Lord.

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:

Sanandana told them how the numerous personified Vedas, appearing as the first emanations from the breathing of Lord Nārāyaṇa, recited prayers for His glorification just before the creation. Sanandana then proceeded to recite these elaborate prayers.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.87
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvatYou
  2. avagamīone who understands
  3. na vettidoes not pay regard
  4. bhavatfrom You
  5. uttharising
  6. śubha-aśubhayoḥof the auspiciousness and inauspiciousness
  7. guṇa-viguṇaof good and bad
  8. anvayānto the attributions
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “recited”, “chant”, “hearing”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

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

    In this verse: “sinful”

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 can daily hearing about the Lord help me become less dependent on praise or favorable circumstances?

Practice

Spend five minutes today reading aloud the Lord’s glories from this passage, with the intention of pleasing Him.

Live this todayHear the Lord’s Glories Every DayThis 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 10.87.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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