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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 10: Bhāgavatam Is the Answer to All Questions
2.10.182.10.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.10.19

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.10.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

विवक्षोर्मुखतो भूम्नो वह्निर्वाग् व्याहृतं तयो: ।

जले चैतस्य सुचिरं निरोध: समजायत ॥ १९ ॥

vivakṣor mukhato bhūmno

vahnir vāg vyāhṛtaṁ tayoḥ

jale caitasya suciraṁ

nirodhaḥ samajāyata

Translation

When the Supreme desired to speak, speeches were vibrated from the mouth. Then the controlling deity Fire was generated from the mouth. But when He was lying in the water, all these functions remained suspended.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Use the Senses Responsibly

  1. 1

    Speech and its controlling deity, Fire, appeared when the Supreme desired to speak. While He lay in the water, these functions remained suspended.

  2. 2

    The activities of the sense organs are controlled by the Supreme Lord’s will. Conditioned souls are given a license to use their senses properly under His appointed authorities.

  3. 3

    The tastes a person develops help determine the next body, which is awarded by superior control, not blindly. An irresponsible life of indiscrimination is therefore risky.

Key points from the purport
  • The controlling deity, however, awards or certifies a particular type of body when the particular living entity develops a taste in terms of different modes of nature.
  • If the human being develops taste without discrimination, as does the swine, then the controlling deity is certainly certified for the next term to award him the body of a swine.
  • A human being, therefore, must be on his guard as to what sort of body he is going to have in the next life.

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

Inquiry → Conviction. Divine knowledge resolves fundamental cosmic uncertainty.

Chapters 8–10 of Canto 2: Parīkṣit questions; Brahmā receives revelation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: Bhāgavatam Is the Answer to All Questions

Śukadeva outlines the Bhāgavatam’s subjects and describes creation through the Lord’s universal form.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vivakṣoḥwhen there was a need to speak
  2. mukhataḥfrom the mouth
  3. bhūmnaḥof the Supreme
  4. vahniḥfire or the controlling deity of fire
  5. vākvibration
  6. vyāhṛtamspeeches
  7. tayoḥby both
  8. jalein the water
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sarga · The creation of the universe

    Where does the universe come from? · Subject 1 of 10

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

Am I developing tastes with care, or simply accepting whatever my senses demand?

Practice

Before choosing one meal today, pause and consider whether your choice reflects discrimination or an unchecked demand of the tongue.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUse the Senses ResponsiblyThis 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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