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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
2.10.272.10.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.10.28

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

आसिसृप्सो: पुर: पुर्या नाभिद्वारमपानत: ।

तत्रापानस्ततो मृत्यु: पृथक्त्वमुभयाश्रयम् ॥ २८ ॥

āsisṛpsoḥ puraḥ puryā

nābhi-dvāram apānataḥ

tatrāpānas tato mṛtyuḥ

pṛthaktvam ubhayāśrayam

Translation

Thereafter, when He desired to move from one body to another, the navel and the air of departure and death were combinedly created. The navel is the shelter for both, namely death and the separating force.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Life and Departure Reveal Our Dependence

  1. 1

    The prāṇa-vāyu maintains life, while the apāna-vāyu stops the living force. Both arise from the abdominal opening, the navel.

  2. 2

    The navel is described as the joint between bodies. The purport illustrates this through Brahmā’s birth from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and a child’s separation from the mother by cutting the navel joint.

  3. 3

    The Supreme Lord thus manifested Himself as separated many. The living entities are separated parts and have no independence.

Key points from the purport
  • Both the vibrations are generated from the abdominal hole, the navel.
  • The body of the child develops from the body of the mother, and when the child is separated from the body of the mother, it is separated by cutting the navel joint.
  • The living entities are therefore separated parts, and thus they have no independence.

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. āsisṛpsoḥdesiring to go everywhere
  2. puraḥin different bodies
  3. puryāḥfrom one body
  4. nābhi-dvāramthe navel or abdominal hole
  5. apānataḥwas manifested
  6. tatrathereupon
  7. apānaḥstopping of the vital force
  8. tataḥthereafter
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “death”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “mother”, “child’s”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “separation”, “separated”

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 understanding myself as a dependent part of the Supreme Lord affect my sense of self?

Practice

Reflect for one minute on the statement that living entities are separated parts of the Supreme Lord and are not independent.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLife and Departure Reveal Our DependenceThis 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 2.10.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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