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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
2.10.322.10.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.10.33

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

एतद्भगवतो रूपं स्थूलं ते व्याहृतं मया ।

मह्यादिभिश्चावरणैरष्टभिर्बहिरावृतम् ॥ ३३ ॥

etad bhagavato rūpaṁ

sthūlaṁ te vyāhṛtaṁ mayā

mahy-ādibhiś cāvaraṇair

aṣṭabhir bahir āvṛtam

Translation

Thus by all this, the external feature of the Personality of Godhead is covered by gross forms such as those of planets, which were explained to you by me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Matter Covers Our Vision, Not the Lord

  1. 1

    Earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, intelligence and false ego are the Lord's separated material energy. They all emanate from the Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Clouds cover our eyes from seeing the sun, not the sun itself. Similarly, the Lord's material energy cannot cover Him.

  3. 3

    The coverings obscure the vision of conditioned souls who want to lord it over material nature. Lacking transcendental vision, they deny the Lord's existence and transcendental form.

Key points from the purport
  • As explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.4), the separated material energy of the Personality of Godhead is covered by eight kinds of material coverings: earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, intelligence and false ego.
  • Therefore, one of the various energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot, of course, cover the Lord.
  • Because they have no eyes of transcendental vision and because they cannot see the Personality of Godhead, they therefore deny the existence of the Lord and the transcendental form of the Lord.

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 2.10.33 quotesBG 7.4

As explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.4), the separated material energy of the Personality of Godhead is covered by eight kinds of material coverings: earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, intelligence and false ego.

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

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. etatall these
  2. bhagavataḥof the Personality of Godhead
  3. rūpamform
  4. sthūlamgross
  5. teunto you
  6. vyāhṛtamexplained
  7. mayāby me
  8. mahīthe planets
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

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “false ego”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “material”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

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

    In this verse: “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

Do I mistake the limits of my own vision for limits on the Lord's existence?

Practice

Write one reminder today: “Material coverings obscure my vision, not the Personality of Godhead.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMatter Covers Our Vision, Not the LordThis 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 2.10.33? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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