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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
1.8.271.8.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.28

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

मन्ये त्वां कालमीशानमनादिनिधनं विभुम् ।

समं चरन्तं सर्वत्र भूतानां यन्मिथ: कलि: ॥ २८ ॥

manye tvāṁ kālam īśānam

anādi-nidhanaṁ vibhum

samaṁ carantaṁ sarvatra

bhūtānāṁ yan mithaḥ kaliḥ

Translation

My Lord, I consider Your Lordship to be eternal time, the supreme controller, without beginning and end, the all-pervasive one. In distributing Your mercy, You are equal to everyone. The dissensions between living beings are due to social intercourse.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Witnesses and Governs Our Actions

  1. 1

    Kuntīdevī knew Kṛṣṇa as the primeval Lord, present in everyone’s heart as Paramātmā. As eternal time, He witnesses all our actions and knows past, present and future.

  2. 2

    Living beings receive freedom, and misuse of that freedom causes suffering. Devotees do not misuse their freedom.

  3. 3

    The Lord is equally merciful and has no enemy or friend. Living beings create their own destiny through their activities under His supervision.

Key points from the purport
  • Another name of the Paramātmā feature of the Lord is kāla, or eternal time.
  • And because the Paramātmā feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa destines all actions and reactions, He is the supreme controller also.
  • And because the Lord has no beginning or end, He is known also as the eternal time, kāla.

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. manyeI consider
  2. tvāmYour Lordship
  3. kālamthe eternal time
  4. īśānamthe Supreme Lord
  5. anādi-nidhanamwithout beginning and end
  6. vibhumall-pervading
  7. samamequally merciful
  8. carantamdistributing
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “mercy”, “merciful”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “suffering”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I use my freedom today in a way that serves the Lord?

Practice

Before one decision today, pause and consider whether your choice misuses your freedom or supports service to Kṛṣṇa.

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.

2 lectures given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayThe Lord Witnesses and Governs Our ActionsThis 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 1.8.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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