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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 4: The Process of Creation
2.4.242.5.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.4.25

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.4.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एतदेवात्मभू राजन् नारदाय विपृच्छते ।

वेदगर्भोऽभ्यधात् साक्षाद् यदाह हरिरात्मन: ॥ २५ ॥

etad evātma-bhū rājan

nāradāya vipṛcchate

veda-garbho ’bhyadhāt sākṣād

yad āha harir ātmanaḥ

Translation

My dear King, Brahmā, the firstborn, on being questioned by Nārada, exactly apprised him on this subject as it had been directly spoken by the Lord to His own son, who was impregnated with Vedic knowledge from his very birth.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Receive and Repeat the Lord’s Message Faithfully

  1. 1

    Brahmā received Vedic knowledge directly from the Supreme Lord Hari. This knowledge enabled him to create and to explain creation accurately.

  2. 2

    Brahmā told Nārada exactly what he had heard, and the same message passed through Vyāsa to Śukadeva. This faithful disciplic succession is the way to understand Vedic knowledge.

  3. 3

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī prayed for mercy to repeat the Lord’s message without changing it. Those who hear and try to assimilate these teachings receive factual knowledge of material creation, not speculative theories.

Key points from the purport
  • As soon as Brahmā was born of the abdominal lotus petals of Viṣṇu, he was impregnated with Vedic knowledge, and therefore he is known as veda-garbha, or a Vedāntist from the embryo.
  • Brahmā, on being questioned by Nārada, told Nārada exactly what he had heard directly from the Lord.
  • Śukadeva Gosvāmī, therefore, prayed for the mercy of the Lord so that he might be able to repeat the very same message that was spoken directly by the Lord to Brahmā, or what was directly spoken by Brahmā to Nārada.

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

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

Further reading

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. etaton this matter
  2. evaexactly
  3. ātma-bhūḥthe firstborn (Brahmājī)
  4. rājanmy dear King
  5. nāradāyaunto Nārada Muni
  6. vipṛcchatehaving inquired about it from
  7. veda-garbhaḥone who is impregnated with Vedic knowledge from birth
  8. abhyadhātapprised
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.4

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understand”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 2.4

    In this verse: “king”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 2.4

    In this verse: “mercy”

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

When I share a spiritual teaching, how carefully do I preserve what I have actually heard?

Practice

Write one sentence summarizing this verse’s teaching, then compare it with the translation to check that you have not added your own speculation.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReceive and Repeat the Lord’s Message FaithfullyThis 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 2.4.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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