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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 7.15.42

Who is speaking and story frame

अक्षं दशप्राणमधर्मधर्मौ

चक्रेऽभिमानं रथिनं च जीवम् ।

धनुर्हि तस्य प्रणवं पठन्ति

शरं तु जीवं परमेव लक्ष्यम् ॥ ४२ ॥

akṣaṁ daśa-prāṇam adharma-dharmau

cakre ’bhimānaṁ rathinaṁ ca jīvam

dhanur hi tasya praṇavaṁ paṭhanti

śaraṁ tu jīvaṁ param eva lakṣyam

Translation

The ten kinds of air acting within the body are compared to the spokes of the chariot’s wheels, and the top and bottom of the wheel itself are called religion and irreligion. The living entity in the bodily concept of life is the owner of the chariot. The Vedic mantra praṇava is the bow, the pure living entity himself is the arrow, and the target is the Supreme Being.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Aim Your Life at the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The ten kinds of life air supply energy for bodily activities and are compared to the spokes of the chariot’s wheels. Religious and irreligious activities are represented by the upper and lower portions of those wheels.

  2. 2

    In conditioned life, one seeks happiness in this material world without understanding that Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the goal. Purification means giving up the bodily conception and false identification with community, nation or family.

  3. 3

    The purified living entity is the arrow, and transcendental chanting of praṇava or the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the bow. Through this devotional service, one aims toward the Lord and receives the benefit of returning home, back to Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • When the living entity decides to go back home, back to Godhead, his target is Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Then he takes the arrow of his purified life, and with the help of the bow — the transcendental chanting of praṇava, or the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra — he throws himself toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • When the conditioned soul tries to reach the Lord by hurling an arrow at Him, the Lord takes pleasure, and the living entity gains the profit of going back home, back to Godhead.

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

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 15: Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He must chant the oṁkāra mantra or Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and in this way he will perceive transcendental bliss within himself. After taking sannyāsa, however, if one returns to gṛhastha life, he is called a vāntāśī, which means “one who eats his own vomit.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.15
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. akṣamthe spokes (on the chariot wheel)
  2. daśaten
  3. prāṇamthe ten kinds of air flowing within the body
  4. adharmairreligion
  5. dharmaureligion (two sides of the wheel, up and down)
  6. cakrein the wheel
  7. abhimānamfalse identification
  8. rathinamthe charioteer or master of the body
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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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 7.15

    In this verse: “religion”, “religious”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.15

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 7.15

    In this verse: “understanding”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How clearly is reaching the Supreme Lord the target of my daily efforts?

Practice

Spend a few quiet minutes chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, remembering the Supreme Lord as your goal.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayAim Your Life at the Supreme LordThis 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 7.15.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.