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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
10.87.4510.87.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.87.46

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 10.87.46inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीनारद उवाच

नमस्तस्मै भगवते कृष्णायामलकीर्तये ।

यो धत्ते सर्वभूतानामभवायोशती: कला: ॥ ४६ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca

namas tasmai bhagavate

kṛṣṇāyāmala-kīrtaye

yo dhatte sarva-bhūtānām

abhavāyośatīḥ kalāḥ

Translation

Śrī Nārada said: I offer my obeisances to Him of spotless fame, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, who manifests His all-attractive personal expansions so that all living beings can achieve 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.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Original Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Nārada offers obeisances to Kṛṣṇa, whose fame is spotless. Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa manifests all-attractive incarnations, including Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi, to end the conditioned souls’ material life. Offering obeisances to Kṛṣṇa honors His other manifestations as well.

  3. 3

    Nārada’s prayer expresses the essential nectar of the Vedas’ prayers. Their conclusion is to meditate on Kṛṣṇa, relish loving exchanges with Him, and worship Him.

Key points from the purport
  • In his commentary on this verse, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī has Lord Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi asking, “Why do you offer obeisances to Kṛṣṇa instead of Me, your guru, who am standing here before you?”
  • Nārada explains his action by saying that Lord Kṛṣṇa assumes all-attractive incarnations like Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi to end the conditioned souls’ material life.
  • By offering obeisances to Lord Kṛṣṇa, therefore, Nārada honors Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi and all other manifestations of Godhead as well.

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· 1

The purport of SB 10.87.46 quotesSB 1.3.28

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī remarks that Nārada’s addressing Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi as an incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa is perfectly appropriate, in accordance with the following statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.28): ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ/ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.

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:

Nārada Muni was equally satisfied to hear this account from Śrī Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi. Thus Nārada offered his obeisances to the Lord and then went to see his disciple Vedavyāsa, to whom he explained everything he had heard.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.87
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-nāradaḥ uvācaŚrī Nārada said
  2. namaḥobeisances
  3. tasmaito Him
  4. bhagavatethe Supreme Lord
  5. kṛṣṇāyaKṛṣṇa
  6. amalaspotless
  7. kīrtayewhose glories
  8. yaḥwho
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

  • 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”

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 my understanding of Kṛṣṇa lead to more personal, loving worship?

Practice

Offer obeisances to Kṛṣṇa today, remembering that His manifestations help living beings attain liberation.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Original Supreme LordThis 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.

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