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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 88: Lord Śiva Saved from Vṛkāsura
10.88.410.88.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.88.5

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.88.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

हरिर्हि निर्गुण: साक्षात् पुरुष: प्रकृते: पर: ।

स सर्वद‍ृगुपद्रष्टा तं भजन् निर्गुणो भवेत् ॥ ५ ॥

harir hi nirguṇaḥ sākṣāt

puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ

sa sarva-dṛg upadraṣṭā

taṁ bhajan nirguṇo bhavet

Translation

Lord Hari, however, has no connection with the material modes. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the all-seeing eternal witness, who is transcendental to material nature. One who worships Him becomes similarly free from the material modes.

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.

Worship Hari to Transcend the Modes

  1. 1

    Lord Hari is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the all-seeing eternal witness. He stands beyond material nature and its modes.

  2. 2

    The real fruit of worshiping Lord Viṣṇu is transcendental knowledge, rather than material opulence. His worshiper gains spiritual vision instead of being blinded by mundane assets.

  3. 3

    Focusing consciousness on Lord Viṣṇu leads to liberation and spiritual joy. Material success may come as a by-product, but it is not the proper goal of His worship.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Viṣṇu is situated in His own transcendental position, beyond the material energy.
  • The real fruit of worshiping Lord Viṣṇu is transcendental knowledge.
  • Thus Lord Viṣṇu’s worshiper gains the eye of transcendental knowledge instead of being blinded by mundane assets.

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 10.88.5 quotesSB 1.2.23

This same idea is echoed in the following statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.23): śreyāṁsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nṛṇām syuḥ.

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 20.313

This is also a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.88.5).

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 88: Lord Śiva Saved from Vṛkāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

But because Lord Śrī Hari is transcendental to the modes of material nature, His devotees also become transcendental.” At the end of the performance of his Aśvamedha sacrifices, King Yudhiṣṭhira had asked this same question of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who replied, “When I feel special compassion for someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.88
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. hariḥthe Supreme Lord Hari
  2. hiindeed
  3. nirguṇaḥuntouched by the material modes
  4. sākṣātabsolutely
  5. puruṣaḥthe Personality of Godhead
  6. prakṛteḥto material nature
  7. paraḥtranscendental
  8. saḥHe
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.88

    In this verse: “worships”, “worshiping”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.88

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.88

    In this verse: “free from”

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

Am I seeking spiritual understanding through worship, or mainly material success?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute focusing on Lord Hari as the eternal witness beyond material nature.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 1.2.23

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.88's connections

Live this todayWorship Hari to Transcend the ModesThis 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 10.88.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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