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

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Canto 7 · The Science of God · 15 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 7 · Chapter 10: Prahlāda, the Best Among Exalted Devotees
7.10.107.10.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.10.11

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 7.10.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

श्रीभगवानुवाच

नैकान्तिनो मे मयि जात्विहाशिष

आशासतेऽमुत्र च ये भवद्विधा: ।

तथापि मन्वन्तरमेतदत्र

दैत्येश्वराणामनुभुङ्‌क्ष्व भोगान् ॥ ११ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

naikāntino me mayi jātv ihāśiṣa

āśāsate ’mutra ca ye bhavad-vidhāḥ

tathāpi manvantaram etad atra

daityeśvarāṇām anubhuṅkṣva bhogān

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlāda, a devotee like you never desires any kind of material opulences, either in this life or in the next. Nonetheless, I order you to enjoy the opulences of the demons in this material world, acting as their king until the end of the duration of time occupied by Manu.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Choose Devotional Service Under All Circumstances

  1. 1

    A devotee like Prahlāda never desires material opulence, either in this life or the next. Nevertheless, the Lord ordered him to accept and rule his father’s kingdom.

  2. 2

    Materialists work hard to build opulence but can enjoy it for only a few years. By the Lord’s arrangement, Prahlāda Mahārāja could enjoy his kingdom for an extraordinarily long time without striving for it.

  3. 3

    Everyone is advised to take to devotional service under all circumstances. Whether one desires everything, nothing or liberation, intelligence means lovingly serving Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Although atheistic men like to enjoy material opulences and they endeavor with great energy to build big residences, roads, cities and factories, unfortunately they cannot live more than eighty, ninety or at the utmost one hundred years.
  • However, because Prahlāda Mahārāja was a devotee, the Lord allowed him to enjoy material opulence as the king of the materialists.
  • A devotee does not have to desire material opulence, but if he is a pure devotee, there is ample opportunity for him to enjoy material happiness also, without personal endeavor.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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 7.10.11 quotesSB 2.3.10

It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.3.10): “Whether one desires everything or nothing, or whether he desires to merge into the existence of the Lord, he is intelligent only if he worships Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by rendering transcendental loving service.”

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

Terror and divine fury → Protection and compassion. The crisis resolves through relationship rather than domination.

Chapters 8–10 of Canto 7: Nṛsiṁhadeva appears; Prahlāda pacifies Him. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: Prahlāda, the Best Among Exalted Devotees

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead was greatly pleased with Prahlāda Mahārāja for his unalloyed devotion, yet the Lord provided him one material benediction — that he would be perfectly happy in this world and live his next life in Vaikuṇṭha.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. nanot
  3. ekāntinaḥunalloyed, without desires except for the one desire for devotional service
  4. mefrom Me
  5. mayiunto Me
  6. jātuany time
  7. ihawithin this material world
  8. āśiṣaḥbenedictions
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.10

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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 7.10

    In this verse: “king”, “kingdom”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.10

    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

Can I make devotional service my priority, whatever desires I presently have?

Practice

Set aside five minutes for loving service to Kṛṣṇa rather than pursuing a material gain.

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 2.3.10

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 7.10's connections

Live this todayChoose Devotional Service Under All CircumstancesThis 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 7.10.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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