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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
2.10.412.10.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.10.42

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.10.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

स एवेदं जगद्धाता भगवान् धर्मरूपधृक् ।

पुष्णाति स्थापयन् विश्वं तिर्यङ्‍नरसुरादिभि: ॥ ४२ ॥

sa evedaṁ jagad-dhātā

bhagavān dharma-rūpa-dhṛk

puṣṇāti sthāpayan viśvaṁ

tiryaṅ-nara-surādibhiḥ

Translation

He, the Personality of Godhead, as the maintainer of all in the universe, appears in different incarnations after establishing the creation, and thus He reclaims all kinds of conditioned souls amongst the humans, the nonhumans and the demigods.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Incarnations Remain Fully Transcendental

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu appears in different societies and species to reclaim conditioned souls from illusion. His mercy is not limited to human beings.

  2. 2

    The Lord is never a product of material creation, and His transcendental position never changes. He is the eternal form of knowledge and bliss, beyond material actions and reactions.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s powers do not decrease when He appears as an animal. There is no difference between Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord Śrī Rāma and His incarnations as a fish or hog.

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu incarnates Himself in different societies of living entities to reclaim them from the clutches of illusion, and such activities of the Lord are not limited only to human society.
  • In the material world the fish or the hog may be considered lower than the man, but when the Lord appears as a fish or hog, He is neither of them in the material conception.
  • Conceptions of the material world such as good and bad, lower and upper, important and insignificant, are estimations of the material energy, and the Supreme Lord is transcendental to all such conceptions.

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 2.10.42 quotesBG 9.11

The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.11): As we have already discussed in the previous verses, it is concluded that the Lord is never a product of the material creation.

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. saḥHe
  2. evacertainly
  3. idamthis
  4. jagat-dhātāthe maintainer of the entire universe
  5. bhagavānthe Personality of Godhead
  6. dharma-rūpa-dhṛkassuming the form of religious principles
  7. puṣṇātimaintains
  8. sthāpayanafter establishing
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “illusion”, “material”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “mercy”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.10

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 trying to understand the Lord by measuring Him against my own limited experience?

Practice

Reread the translation today, remembering that every incarnation retains the Lord’s full transcendental power.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Incarnations Remain Fully TranscendentalThis 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 2.10.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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