Study a Verse

• The preceding chapter ended with the recommendation that one should always meditate on Lord Hari, the bestower of liberation.
• For the benefit of such persons of little faith, King Parīkṣit requests Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī to explain an apparent paradox: Lord Śiva, who lives like a beggar, without even a house to call his own, makes his devotees rich and powerful, while Lord Viṣṇu, the omnipotent possessor of all that exists, often reduces His servants to abject poverty.
• Śukadeva Gosvāmī will respond with reasoned explanations and an ancient account concerning the demon Vṛka.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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

Chapter 88: Lord Śiva Saved from Vṛkāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lord Viṣṇu possesses all opulences, while Lord Śiva lives in poverty. Yet the devotees of Viṣṇu are generally poverty-stricken, while Śiva’s attain abundant wealth.