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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
2.1.342.1.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.1.35

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

विज्ञानशक्तिं महिमामनन्ति

सर्वात्मनोऽन्त:करणं गिरित्रम् ।

अश्वाश्वतर्युष्ट्रगजा नखानि

सर्वे मृगा: पशव: श्रोणिदेशे ॥ ३५ ॥

vijñāna-śaktiṁ mahim āmananti

sarvātmano ’ntaḥ-karaṇaṁ giritram

aśvāśvatary-uṣṭra-gajā nakhāni

sarve mṛgāḥ paśavaḥ śroṇi-deśe

Translation

The principle of matter [mahat-tattva] is the consciousness of the omnipresent Lord, as asserted by the experts, and Rudradeva is His ego. The horse, mule, camel and elephant are His nails, and wild animals and all quadrupeds are situated in the belt zone of the Lord.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Matter and Animals Within the Lord’s Form

  1. 1

    The principle of matter, mahat-tattva, is described as the consciousness of the omnipresent Lord.

  2. 2

    Rudradeva is described as His ego. The horse, mule, camel and elephant are His nails.

  3. 3

    Wild animals and all quadrupeds are situated in the belt zone of the Lord. These descriptions place them within His gigantic 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

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. vijñāna-śaktimconsciousness
  2. mahimthe principle of matter
  3. āmanantithey call it so
  4. sarva-ātmanaḥof the omnipresent
  5. antaḥ-karaṇamego
  6. giritramRudra (Śiva)
  7. aśvahorse
  8. aśvatarimule
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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this description change the way you think about animals in relation to the Lord?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once, remembering the animals it describes as situated within the Lord’s form.

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.

Quoted in 2 lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 2 lectures

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayMatter and Animals Within the Lord’s FormThis 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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