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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

2.1.33 2.1.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.1.34

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.1.23inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ईशस्य केशान् विदुरम्बुवाहान्

वासस्तु सन्ध्यां कुरुवर्य भूम्न: ।

अव्यक्तमाहुर्हृदयं मनश्च

स चन्द्रमा: सर्वविकारकोश: ॥ ३४ ॥

īśasya keśān vidur ambuvāhān

vāsas tu sandhyāṁ kuru-varya bhūmnaḥ

avyaktam āhur hṛdayaṁ manaś ca

sa candramāḥ sarva-vikāra-kośaḥ

Translation

O best amongst the Kurus, the clouds which carry water are the hairs on His head, the terminations of days or nights are His dress, and the supreme cause of material creation is His intelligence. His mind is the moon, the reservoir of all changes.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Contemplate Clouds, Twilight and Moon

1
The clouds that carry water are described as the hairs on the Lord’s head.
2
The endings of days and nights are His dress. The supreme cause of material creation is His intelligence.
3
The moon, the reservoir of all changes, is described as His mind. These features are presented as aspects of the Lord’s universal form.

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

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

īśasyaof the supreme controller
keśānhairs on the head
viduḥyou may know it from me
ambu-vāhānthe clouds which carry water
vāsaḥ tuthe dress
sandhyāmtermination of day and night
kuru-varyaO best of the Kurus
bhūmnaḥof the Almighty

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 2.1
In this verse: “material”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which of these descriptions could help me remember the Lord during an ordinary day?

Practice

At twilight, or when you notice clouds or the moon, pause and recall the corresponding feature of the Lord’s universal form.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayContemplate Clouds, Twilight and MoonThis 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 2.1.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories