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Study a Verse

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

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Canto 1 · Creation · 19 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 1 · Chapter 8: Prayers by Queen Kuntī and Parīkṣit Saved
1.8.151.8.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.16

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.8.11inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

मा मंस्था ह्येतदाश्चर्यं सर्वाश्चर्यमयेऽच्युते ।

य इदं मायया देव्या सृजत्यवति हन्त्यज: ॥ १६ ॥

mā maṁsthā hy etad āścaryaṁ

sarvāścaryamaye ’cyute

ya idaṁ māyayā devyā

sṛjaty avati hanty ajaḥ

Translation

O brāhmaṇas, do not think this to be especially wonderful in the activities of the mysterious and infallible Personality of Godhead. By His own transcendental energy He creates, maintains and annihilates all material things, although He Himself is unborn.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Is Unrivaled

  1. 1

    Although He is unborn, the Personality of Godhead creates, maintains and annihilates all material things through His transcendental energy.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s activities exceed the limited understanding of living beings. Nothing is impossible for Him, even when His actions seem inconceivable to us.

  3. 3

    The Supreme Lord is all-powerful and fully perfect. No one is equal to or greater than Him.

Key points from the purport
  • The activities of the Lord are always inconceivable to the tiny brain of the living entities.
  • Nothing is impossible for the Supreme Lord, but all His actions are wonderful for us, and thus He is always beyond the range of our conceivable limits.
  • The Lord is the all-powerful, all-perfect Personality of 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

Grief → Trust. Violence and bereavement make Kṛṣṇa's protective presence precious.

Chapters 7–9 of Canto 1: Postwar anguish, Kuntī and Bhīṣma. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: Prayers by Queen Kuntī and Parīkṣit Saved

Kṛṣṇa protects Parīkṣit, Kuntī prays for undivided attraction to Him, and Yudhiṣṭhira grieves.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.8
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. mādo not
  2. maṁsthāḥthink
  3. hicertainly
  4. etatall these
  5. āścaryamwonderful
  6. sarvaall
  7. āścarya-mayein the all-mysterious
  8. acyutethe infallible
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “understanding”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where might I be measuring the Supreme Lord by the limits of my own understanding?

Practice

Write one sentence acknowledging a limit of your understanding and the Lord’s unlimited power.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Is UnrivaledThis 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 1.8.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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