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

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 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 9 · Chapter 10: The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Rāmacandra
9.10.139.10.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.10.14

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.10.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न त्वां वयं जडधियो नु विदाम भूमन्

कूटस्थमादिपुरुषं जगतामधीशम् ।

यत्सत्त्वत: सुरगणा रजस: प्रजेशा

मन्योश्च भूतपतय: स भवान् गुणेश: ॥ १४ ॥

na tvāṁ vayaṁ jaḍa-dhiyo nu vidāma bhūman

kūṭa-stham ādi-puruṣaṁ jagatām adhīśam

yat-sattvataḥ sura-gaṇā rajasaḥ prajeśā

manyoś ca bhūta-patayaḥ sa bhavān guṇeśaḥ

Translation

O all-pervading Supreme Person, we are dull-minded and did not understand who You are, but now we understand that You are the Supreme Person, the master of the entire universe, the unchanging and original Personality of Godhead. The demigods are infatuated with the mode of goodness, the Prajāpatis with the mode of passion, and the lord of ghosts with the mode of ignorance, but You are the master of all these qualities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember the Lord in Happiness Too

  1. 1

    The ocean acknowledged the Lord as the all-pervading, unchanging, original Personality of Godhead. He is the master of the universe and all material qualities.

  2. 2

    Dull, blunt intelligence prevents one from understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Severe suffering under material nature can awaken recognition of Him.

  3. 3

    People often worship the Lord in distress but forget Him when prosperous. The purport urges us to recognize His supremacy rather than wait for suffering.

Key points from the purport
  • A person with such intelligence cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Without being beaten, an animal cannot understand the purpose of a man.
  • Therefore, punishment by the Lord through material nature is necessary in human society, for without it men forget the supremacy of the Lord due to their dull, blunt intelligence.

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

Exile and separation → Loyalty and reunion. Duty, loss and sacrifice shape the dramatic center of this canto.

Chapters 10–12 of Canto 9: The pastimes of Lord Rāmacandra. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Rāmacandra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The son of Raghu was Aja, the son of Aja was Daśaratha, and the son of Daśaratha was Lord Rāmacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the Lord descended into this world in His full quadruple expansion — as Lord Rāmacandra, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna — great sages like Vālmīki who were actually in knowledge of the Absolute Truth described His transcendental pastimes.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. tvāmYour Lordship
  3. vayamwe
  4. jaḍa-dhiyaḥdull-minded, possessing blunt intelligence
  5. nuindeed
  6. vidāmaḥcan know
  7. bhūmanO Supreme
  8. kūṭa-sthamwithin the core of the heart
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “understand”, “understanding”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “suffering”, “distress”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 9.10

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I remember to worship the Lord when life is comfortable?

Practice

During one comfortable moment today, pause to thank and worship the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember the Lord in Happiness TooThis 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 9.10.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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