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

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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
1.8.171.8.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.18

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Queen Kuntīsince 1.8.18inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

कुन्त्युवाच

नमस्ये पुरुषं त्वाद्यमीश्वरं प्रकृते: परम् ।

अलक्ष्यं सर्वभूतानामन्तर्बहिरवस्थितम् ॥ १८ ॥

kunty uvāca

namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam

īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param

alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām

antar bahir avasthitam

Translation

Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is Within and Beyond Everything

  1. 1

    Kuntī recognized Kṛṣṇa as the original Personality of Godhead, although He appeared as her nephew. She offered Him obeisances as the Supreme Person beyond the material cosmos.

  2. 2

    Living beings may fall under material nature, but Kṛṣṇa never does. Others possess some power to control, yet He alone is the ultimate controller.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is both personally present and all-pervading, existing within and without everyone. His māyā energy limits the vision of those who are not surrendered to Him.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī was quite aware that Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, although He was playing the part of her nephew.
  • Although all living entities are also transcendental, they are neither original nor infallible.
  • Queen Kuntī affirms that the Lord, although both within and without all living beings, is still invisible.

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· 1

The purport of SB 1.8.18 quotesBG 15.15

In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) the Lord says, “I am situated in everyone’s heart, and only due to Me one remembers, forgets and is cognizant, etc. Through all the Vedas I am to be known because I am the compiler of the Vedas, and I am the teacher of the Vedānta.”

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

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. kuntī uvācaŚrīmatī Kuntī said
  2. namasyelet me bow down
  3. puruṣamthe Supreme Person
  4. tvāYou
  5. ādyamthe original
  6. īśvaramthe controller
  7. prakṛteḥof the material cosmos
  8. parambeyond
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”, “māyā”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “surrendered”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can Kuntī’s recognition of Kṛṣṇa deepen the way I offer Him respect?

Practice

Offer one deliberate bow to Kṛṣṇa, remembering Him as the original Personality of Godhead.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

5 lectures given on it · quoted in 7 more lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Show 3 more lectures on it
Quoted in 7 other lectures

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Within and Beyond EverythingThis 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.

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