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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
1.8.291.8.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.30

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Queen Kuntīsince 1.8.18inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

जन्म कर्म च विश्वात्मन्नजस्याकर्तुरात्मन: ।

तिर्यङ्‍नृषिषु याद:सु तदत्यन्तविडम्बनम् ॥ ३० ॥

janma karma ca viśvātmann

ajasyākartur ātmanaḥ

tiryaṅ-nṝṣiṣu yādaḥsu

tad atyanta-viḍambanam

Translation

Of course it is bewildering, O soul of the universe, that You work, though You are inactive, and that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn. You Yourself descend amongst animals, men, sages and aquatics. Verily, this is bewildering.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Unborn Lord’s Forms Are Transcendental

  1. 1

    The Lord is unborn and has nothing to do, yet He appears and acts in many forms. These apparently contradictory pastimes are beyond our limited thinking power.

  2. 2

    No one is equal to or greater than Him. Through His manifold energies, everything is performed perfectly by His knowledge, strength and activity.

  3. 3

    Pure devotees understand the Lord through their intimate relationship with Him. Whether He appears among animals, human beings, sages or aquatics, He remains eternally the Supreme Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord is the all-prevailing Supersoul of all existence, and yet He appears in the form of a boar amongst the animals, in the form of a human being as Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, etc., in the form of a ṛṣi like Nārāyaṇa, and in the form of an aquatic like a fish.
  • Therefore no one can calculate Him exactly; every action of the Lord is bewildering to the common man.
  • The devotees therefore know that although He appears amongst the animals, He is not an animal, nor a man, nor a ṛṣi, nor a fish.

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. janmabirth
  2. karmaactivity
  3. caand
  4. viśva-ātmanO soul of the universe
  5. ajasyaof the unborn
  6. akartuḥof the inactive
  7. ātmanaḥof the vital energy
  8. tiryakanimal
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understand”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this teaching help me approach the Lord’s bewildering activities with humility?

Practice

Reread the translation once, then offer a short prayer to understand the Lord through pure devotion rather than limited reasoning.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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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 Unborn Lord’s Forms Are TranscendentalThis 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 1.8.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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