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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
7.10.487.10.50

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.10.49

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 7.10.48inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

स वा अयं ब्रह्म महद्विमृग्य-

कैवल्यनिर्वाणसुखानुभूति: ।

प्रिय: सुहृद् व: खलु मातुलेय

आत्मार्हणीयो विधिकृद्गुरुश्च ॥ ४९ ॥

sa vā ayaṁ brahma mahad-vimṛgya-

kaivalya-nirvāṇa-sukhānubhūtiḥ

priyaḥ suhṛd vaḥ khalu mātuleya

ātmārhaṇīyo vidhi-kṛd guruś ca

Translation

The impersonal Brahman is Kṛṣṇa Himself because Kṛṣṇa is the source of the impersonal Brahman. He is the origin of the transcendental bliss sought by great saintly persons, yet He, the Supreme Person, is your most dear friend and constant well-wisher and is intimately related to you as the son of your maternal uncle. Indeed, He is always like your body and soul. He is worshipable, yet He acts as your servant and sometimes as your spiritual master.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Is His Devotees’ Friend

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person and the source of impersonal Brahman. There is no truth superior to Him.

  2. 2

    That same Kṛṣṇa acted as the Pāṇḍavas’ dear friend, relative and sometimes servant. As their well-wisher, He also became Arjuna’s spiritual master.

  3. 3

    A pure devotee remains with Kṛṣṇa through thick and thin. Kṛṣṇa is the devotee’s way of life.

Key points from the purport
  • Indeed, that Supreme Person Himself, Lord Kṛṣṇa, instructs in Bhagavad-gītā, brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat.
  • Because Kṛṣṇa was the well-wisher of the Pāṇḍavas, He also acted as guru by becoming the spiritual master of Arjuna.
  • Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master (śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam), and Kṛṣṇa sometimes chastised him.

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:

Nārada Muni praised Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja because the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, was the greatest well-wisher and friend of the Pāṇḍavas and almost always stayed in their house. Thus the fortune of the Pāṇḍavas was greater than that of Prahlāda Mahārāja.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥthat (Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa)
  2. vāalso
  3. ayamthis
  4. brahmathe impersonal Brahman (which is an emanation from Kṛṣṇa)
  5. mahatby great personalities
  6. vimṛgyasearched for
  7. kaivalyaoneness
  8. nirvāṇa-sukhaof transcendental happiness
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshipable”, “devotee”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 7.10

    In this verse: “friend”

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

What would it mean to keep Kṛṣṇa central in both easy and difficult circumstances?

Practice

Reread Kṛṣṇa’s instruction quoted in this purport and reflect on your willingness to accept His guidance.

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 7.10's connections

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Is His Devotees’ FriendThis 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 7.10.49? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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