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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
7.10.57.10.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.10.6

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Prahlāda Mahārājasince 7.10.2inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

अहं त्वकामस्त्वद्भ‍क्तस्त्वं च स्वाम्यनपाश्रय: ।

नान्यथेहावयोरर्थो राजसेवकयोरिव ॥ ६ ॥

ahaṁ tv akāmas tvad-bhaktas

tvaṁ ca svāmy anapāśrayaḥ

nānyathehāvayor artho

rāja-sevakayor iva

Translation

O my Lord, I am Your unmotivated servant, and You are my eternal master. There is no need of our being anything other than master and servant. You are naturally my master, and I am naturally Your servant. We have no other relationship.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Our Eternal Happiness Is in Service

  1. 1

    Every living being is eternally a servant of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. The Lord is the supreme proprietor and enjoyer, and our natural position is to surrender to Him.

  2. 2

    Real happiness exists in this eternal relationship of master and servant. Trying to become separately happy or treating the Lord as an order supplier disturbs that relationship.

  3. 3

    The prescribed method of devotional service is to become a servant of the Lord’s servant. Satisfying His servant is the way to satisfy Lord Viṣṇu.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’: every living being is eternally a servant of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.
  • If this relationship continues, then real happiness exists eternally between the master and servant.
  • Unless this relationship between the Supreme Lord and the subordinate living entity is established, there can be no real happiness.

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· 2

The purport of SB 7.10.6 quotesBG 5.29

Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: “I am the proprietor of all planets, and I am the supreme enjoyer.”

The purport of SB 7.10.6 quotesBG 4.11

In Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) the Lord says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham.

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:

Similarly, a master who wants to please his servant after taking service from him is also not a real master.” Prahlāda Mahārāja, therefore, did not ask anything from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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. ahamas far as I am concerned
  2. tuindeed
  3. akāmaḥwithout material desire
  4. tvat-bhaktaḥfully attached to You without motivation
  5. tvam caYour Lordship also
  6. svāmīthe real master
  7. anapāśrayaḥwithout motivation (You do not become the master with motivation)
  8. nanot
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 7.10

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 7.10

    In this verse: “surrender”

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

How can I approach the Lord as His servant rather than as someone expecting Him to fulfill my orders?

Practice

Offer one small, practical help to a devotee today as service to the Lord’s servant.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOur Eternal Happiness Is in ServiceThis 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 7.10.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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