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

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Canto 2 · The Cosmic Manifestation · 10 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 2 · Chapter 1: The First Step in God Realization
2.1.252.1.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.1.26

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.1.23inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

पातालमेतस्य हि पादमूलं

पठन्ति पार्ष्णिप्रपदे रसातलम् ।

महातलं विश्वसृजोऽथ गुल्फौ

तलातलं वै पुरुषस्य जङ्घे ॥ २६ ॥

pātālam etasya hi pāda-mūlaṁ

paṭhanti pārṣṇi-prapade rasātalam

mahātalaṁ viśva-sṛjo ’tha gulphau

talātalaṁ vai puruṣasya jaṅghe

Translation

Persons who have realized it have studied that the planets known as Pātāla constitute the bottoms of the feet of the universal Lord, and the heels and the toes are the Rasātala planets. The ankles are the Mahātala planets, and His shanks constitute the Talātala planets.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

See the Universe With a Service Attitude

  1. 1

    Everything in the manifested world rests on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet seeing the world as something to dominate is not God realization.

  2. 2

    Meditation on the universal form has little effect unless the service attitude is revived. The Lord always remains Supreme Spirit, unaffected by the three material qualities.

  3. 3

    The description begins with the Lord’s feet, as is fitting in devotion. Pātāla, Rasātala, Mahātala and Talātala are described as His soles, heels and toes, ankles, and shanks.

Key points from the purport
  • The conception of the universal form of the Lord gives a chance to the materialist to think of the Supreme Lord, but the materialist must know for certain that his visualization of the world in a spirit of lording over it is not God realization.
  • The materialistic view of exploitation of the material resources is occasioned by the illusion of the external energy of the Lord, and as such if anyone wants to realize the Supreme Truth by conceiving of the universal form of the Lord, he must cultivate the service attitude.
  • The transcendental Lord, in any conception of His form, is never a part of the material creation.

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 2.1.26 quotesBG 9.4

Everything and anything of the manifested world rests on Him, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4), but that does not imply that everything and anything in the vision of a materialist is the Supreme Personality.

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

Death anxiety → Steady attention. The answer to mortality begins with spiritual focus.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 2: The practice of hearing, remembering and devotion. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The First Step in God Realization

Śukadeva describes the value of conscious living, self-control, and meditation on the Lord’s universal form.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pātālamthe planets at the bottom of the universe
  2. etasyaof His
  3. hiexactly
  4. pāda-mūlamsoles of the feet
  5. paṭhantithey study it
  6. pārṣṇithe heels
  7. prapadethe toes
  8. rasātalamthe planets named Rasātala
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.1

    In this verse: “devotion”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.1

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where can I replace a desire to dominate with a willingness to serve?

Practice

Before using one material resource today, pause and consider how to use it in service to the Lord rather than merely for your own enjoyment.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySee the Universe With a Service AttitudeThis 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 2.1.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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