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

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Canto 11 · General History · 31 chapters

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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 11 · Chapter 16: The Lord’s Opulence
11.16.3611.16.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.16.37

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.16.6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

पृथिवी वायुराकाश आपो ज्योतिरहं महान् ।

विकार: पुरुषोऽव्यक्तं रज: सत्त्वं तम: परम् ।

अहमेतत्प्रसङ्ख्यानं ज्ञानं तत्त्वविनिश्चय: ॥ ३७ ॥

pṛthivī vāyur ākāśa

āpo jyotir ahaṁ mahān

vikāraḥ puruṣo ’vyaktaṁ

rajaḥ sattvaṁ tamaḥ param

aham etat prasaṅkhyānaṁ

jñānaṁ tattva-viniścayaḥ

Translation

I am form, taste, aroma, touch and sound; false ego; the mahat-tattva; earth, water, fire, air and sky; the living entity; material nature; the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance; and the transcendental Lord. All these items, along with knowledge of their individual symptoms and the steady conviction that results from this knowledge, represent Me.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

All Universes Rest on His Effulgence

  1. 1

    The Lord summarizes the opulences that expand from His bodily effulgence.

  2. 2

    All material universes, with their infinite varieties, transformations and opulences, rest on that effulgence.

  3. 3

    The listed elements, the living entity, material nature and the transcendental Lord represent Him. Knowledge of their individual symptoms and the steady conviction arising from it also represent Him.

Key points from the purport
  • Having given a brief but detailed synopsis of His personal opulences within this world, the Lord now briefly summarizes the opulences that expand from His bodily effulgence.
  • It is stated in Brahma-saṁhitā that all of the material universes with their infinite varieties, transformations and opulences rest on the bodily effulgence of the Lord.
  • Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has elaborately explained this point in his commentary on this verse.

The purport'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

Uncertainty → Clarity. The coming separation makes the instruction personally urgent.

Chapters 10–20 of Canto 11: Kṛṣṇa's teachings on self, yoga and wisdom. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 16: The Lord’s Opulence

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Such conceptions are the results of mentally combining two ideas to produce an object that exists only in the imagination, such as a sky flower. Material opulences are not substantially true, and therefore one should not become too involved in meditating upon them.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pṛthivīthe subtle form of earth, aroma
  2. vāyuḥthe subtle form of air, touch
  3. ākāśaḥthe subtle form of sky, sound
  4. āpaḥthe subtle form of water, taste
  5. jyotiḥthe subtle form of fire, form
  6. ahamfalse ego
  7. mahānthe mahat-tattva
  8. vikāraḥthe sixteen elements (earth, water, fire, air and sky, the five working senses, the five knowledge-acquiring senses and the mind)
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 11.16

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.16

    In this verse: “material”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 11.16

    In this verse: “false ego”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that all universes rest on the Lord’s effulgence shape my understanding of His greatness?

Practice

Reread the verse slowly and reflect on its statement that both the listed items and knowledge of them represent the Lord.

Live this todayAll Universes Rest on His EffulgenceThis 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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