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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 2 · The Cosmic Manifestation · 10 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 2 · Chapter 10: Bhāgavatam Is the Answer to All Questions
2.10.482.10.51

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 2.10.49-50

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śaunaka Ṛṣisince 2.10.49-50inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

क्षत्तु: कौशारवेस्तस्य संवादोऽध्यात्मसंश्रित: ।

यद्वा स भगवांस्तस्मै पृष्टस्तत्त्वमुवाच ह ॥ ४९ ॥

ब्रूहि नस्तदिदं सौम्य विदुरस्य विचेष्टितम् ।

बन्धुत्यागनिमित्तं च यथैवागतवान् पुन: ॥ ५० ॥

kṣattuḥ kauśāraves tasya

saṁvādo ’dhyātma-saṁśritaḥ

yad vā sa bhagavāṁs tasmai

pṛṣṭas tattvam uvāca ha

brūhi nas tad idaṁ saumya

vidurasya viceṣṭitam

bandhu-tyāga-nimittaṁ ca

yathaivāgatavān punaḥ

Translation

Śaunaka Ṛṣi said: Let us know, please, what topics were discussed between Vidura and Maitreya, who talked on transcendental subjects, and what was inquired by Vidura and replied by Maitreya. Also please let us know the reason for Vidura’s giving up the connection of his family members, and why he again came home. Please also let us know the activities of Vidura while he was in the places of pilgrimage.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear Transcendental Truth From Authorities

  1. 1

    Śaunaka Ṛṣi asked about Vidura’s questions, Maitreya’s replies and Vidura’s travels and family connections. The ṛṣis were more inclined to hear transcendental subjects than descriptions of the physical world.

  2. 2

    Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam benefits both materialists and transcendentalists through hearing the Lord’s glorious activities. The wonders of nature, such as a rose’s beauty, unfold under the conscious direction of the Supreme Lord.

  3. 3

    Simply claiming supreme, all-pervading consciousness does not make anyone supremely conscious. The ṛṣis sought the real truth in transcendental matters as discussed by authorities.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī was narrating the topics of the creation and destruction of the material world, but it appears that the ṛṣis headed by Śaunaka were more inclined to hear of transcendental subjects, which are on a higher level than the physical.
  • One has to prove in the physical world that he has such supreme consciousness.
  • The ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya, however, were above the gross materialists and the false transcendentalists, and thus they were always anxious to know the real truth in transcendental matters, as discussed by authorities.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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

Inquiry → Conviction. Divine knowledge resolves fundamental cosmic uncertainty.

Chapters 8–10 of Canto 2: Parīkṣit questions; Brahmā receives revelation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: Bhāgavatam Is the Answer to All Questions

Śukadeva outlines the Bhāgavatam’s subjects and describes creation through the Lord’s universal form.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṣattuḥof Vidura
  2. kauśāraveḥas that of Maitreya
  3. tasyatheir
  4. saṁvādaḥnews
  5. adhyātmain the matter of transcendental knowledge
  6. saṁśritaḥfull of
  7. yatwhich
  8. vāanything else
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “inquired”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “materialists”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “hearing”

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

When you admire nature, do you also remember the Supreme Lord’s conscious direction behind it?

Practice

Look closely at a flower today and take a moment to remember the Lord’s attention and direction behind its form.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 2.10's connections

Live this todayHear Transcendental Truth From AuthoritiesThis 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 2.10.49-50? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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