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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 4: The Process of Creation

2.4.19 2.4.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.4.20

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.4.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रिय: पतिर्यज्ञपति: प्रजापति-

र्धियां पतिर्लोकपतिर्धरापति: ।

पतिर्गतिश्चान्धकवृष्णिसात्वतां

प्रसीदतां मे भगवान् सतां पति: ॥ २० ॥

śriyaḥ patir yajña-patiḥ prajā-patir

dhiyāṁ patir loka-patir dharā-patiḥ

patir gatiś cāndhaka-vṛṣṇi-sātvatāṁ

prasīdatāṁ me bhagavān satāṁ patiḥ

Translation

May Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the worshipable Lord of all devotees, the protector and glory of all the kings like Andhaka and Vṛṣṇi of the Yadu dynasty, the husband of all goddesses of fortune, the director of all sacrifices and therefore the leader of all living entities, the controller of all intelligence, the proprietor of all planets, spiritual and material, and the supreme incarnation on the earth (the supreme all in all), be merciful upon me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Lord of Everything

1
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sum total of all perfection. He is the husband of all goddesses of fortune, the maintainer of living beings and the real proprietor of everything.
2
Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices, so their aim is to please Him. Devotees perform saṅkīrtana-yajña, hearing and chanting about the Lord, especially recommended in this Age of Kali.
3
As the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, the Lord gives remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. Our intelligence should be used to become free from material bondage, rather than to increase sense gratification.

Key points from the purport

Therefore the Lord is Dhiyām-pati, or the Lord of intelligence.
Everything we see in the material manifestation is but the creation of the Lord.
The conditioned soul can enjoy a fragment of this material creation under the control of the Lord, but not self-sufficiently.

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 2.4.20 quotesBG 3.10

We have information from the Bhagavad-gītā (3.10-11) that Lord Brahmā, after giving rebirth to the conditioned souls within the universe, instructed them to perform sacrifices and to lead a prosperous life.

The purport of SB 2.4.20 quotesBG 15.15

All living beings are not equally endowed with the same quality of intelligence because behind such development of intelligence is the control of the Lord, as declared in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15).

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

Uncertainty → Awe. The scale of reality widens dramatically.

Chapters 4–7 of Canto 2: The creation, cosmic Person and incarnations. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 4: The Process of Creation

Parīkṣit fixes his mind on Kṛṣṇa and asks about creation; Śukadeva offers prayers before answering.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.4

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

śriyaḥall opulence
patiḥthe owner
yajñaof sacrifice
patiḥthe director
prajā-patiḥthe leader of all living entities
dhiyāmof intelligence
patiḥthe master
loka-patiḥthe proprietor of all planets

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
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.4
In this verse: “devotees”, “worshipable”
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.4
In this verse: “material”, “sense gratification”
Kṛpā · Divine mercy
Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 2.4
In this verse: “merciful”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could I use my intelligence to please Kṛṣṇa rather than increase my own enjoyment?

Practice

Spend a few minutes today chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name with the intention of pleasing Him.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 2.4's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Lord of EverythingThis 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 2.4.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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