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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.10.42

Who is speaking and story frame

एषा ब्रह्मण्यदेवस्य कृष्णस्य च महात्मन: ।

अवतारकथा पुण्या वधो यत्रादिदैत्ययो: ॥ ४२ ॥

eṣā brahmaṇya-devasya

kṛṣṇasya ca mahātmanaḥ

avatāra-kathā puṇyā

vadho yatrādi-daityayoḥ

Translation

In this narration about Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, various expansions or incarnations of the Lord have been described, and the killing of the two demons Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu has also been described.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. His incarnations are His expansions.

  2. 2

    The incarnations are described in authentic scriptures. We should consult these scriptures rather than accept someone who merely claims to be God.

  3. 3

    Hearing and chanting narrations of the Lord’s incarnations purifies material contamination. Prahlāda Mahārāja is our guru, and Kṛṣṇa is our worshipable God.

Key points from the purport
  • Avatāras, or incarnations, are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead — Kṛṣṇa, Govinda.
  • The preachers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must carry this conviction very carefully within their hearts and kill the demons who in many tactful ways vilify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.
  • If we take shelter of Nṛsiṁhadeva and Prahlāda Mahārāja, it will be easier to kill the demons who are against Kṛṣṇa and to thus reestablish Kṛṣṇa’s supremacy.

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

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:

Thus Nārada Muni described the character of Prahlāda Mahārāja for Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, and he further described the killing of Rāvaṇa by Lord Rāmacandra and the killing of Śiśupāla and Dantavakra in Dvāpara-yuga. Śiśupāla, of course, had merged into the existence of the Lord and thus achieved sāyujya-mukti.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.10
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. eṣāall this
  2. brahmaṇya-devasyaof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is worshiped by all brāhmaṇas
  3. kṛṣṇasyaof Kṛṣṇa, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. caalso
  5. mahā-ātmanaḥthe Supersoul
  6. avatāra-kathānarrations about His incarnations
  7. puṇyāpious, purifying
  8. vadhaḥkilling
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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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 7.10

    In this verse: “narration”, “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 7.10

    In this verse: “purifies”, “contamination”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshipable”

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

Do I base my understanding of the Lord’s incarnations on authentic scriptures?

Practice

Read aloud a short passage here about Kṛṣṇa’s incarnations, giving it your full attention.

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.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Source of All IncarnationsThis 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 7.10.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.