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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 2: The Lord in the Heart
2.1.392.2.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.2.1

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.2.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

एवं पुरा धारणयात्मयोनि-

र्नष्टां स्मृतिं प्रत्यवरुध्य तुष्टात् ।

तथा ससर्जेदममोघद‍ृष्टि-

र्यथाप्ययात् प्राग् व्यवसायबुद्धि: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

evaṁ purā dhāraṇayātma-yonir

naṣṭāṁ smṛtiṁ pratyavarudhya tuṣṭāt

tathā sasarjedam amogha-dṛṣṭir

yathāpyayāt prāg vyavasāya-buddhiḥ

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Formerly, prior to the manifestation of the cosmos, Lord Brahmā, by meditating on the virāṭ-rūpa, regained his lost consciousness by appeasing the Lord. Thus he was able to rebuild the creation as it was before.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember Our Eternal Relationship Through Loving Service

  1. 1

    Even Brahmā can forget, because he is a living entity empowered by the Lord. By meditating on the virāṭ-rūpa and pleasing the Lord, he regained his consciousness and rebuilt the creation.

  2. 2

    In human life, meditation on the Lord’s virāṭ-rūpa can revive pure consciousness and counteract forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with Him. This clear understanding leads to loving service.

  3. 3

    Living entities are the Lord’s assisting hands, each meant to render service to Him. Liberation is not inaction but freedom from forgetfulness through real loving service.

Key points from the purport
  • This forgetfulness of the living being — beginning from Brahmā down to the lowest insignificant ant — is a tendency which can be counteracted by meditation on the virāṭ-rūpa of the Lord.
  • This ascertained knowledge of the living being leads to loving service to the Lord, which the living being requires.
  • Liberation means getting out of the slumber of forgetfulness and becoming situated in the real loving service of the Lord, as exemplified in the case of Brahmā.

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· 2

The purport of SB 2.2.1 quotesBG 2.41

And as soon as this forgetfulness is removed, the vyavasāya-buddhi, as mentioned here and in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.41), follows at once.

The purport of SB 2.2.1 quotesBG 13.14

The Bhagavad-gītā (13.14) asserts that the Lord has His hands, legs, eyes and mouths in every nook and corner of His 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

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 2: The Lord in the Heart

Meditation on the Lord in the heart leads toward realization; attraction for Kṛṣṇa is religion’s highest perfection.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. evamjust in the same way
  3. purāprior to the manifestation of the cosmos
  4. dhāraṇayāby such a conception
  5. ātma-yoniḥof Brahmājī
  6. naṣṭāmlost
  7. smṛtimremembrance
  8. pratyavarudhyaby regaining consciousness
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.2

    In this verse: “understanding”

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 might remembering that I am meant to serve the Lord change my approach to today’s duties?

Practice

Before one duty today, pause and remember your eternal relationship with the Lord and your purpose of serving Him.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember Our Eternal Relationship Through Loving ServiceThis 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 2.2.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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