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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
2.4.52.4.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.4.6

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 2.4.5inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

भूय एव विवित्सामि भगवानात्ममायया ।

यथेदं सृजते विश्वं दुर्विभाव्यमधीश्वरै: ॥ ६ ॥

bhūya eva vivitsāmi

bhagavān ātma-māyayā

yathedaṁ sṛjate viśvaṁ

durvibhāvyam adhīśvaraiḥ

Translation

I beg to know from you how the Personality of Godhead, by His personal energies, creates these phenomenal universes as they are, which are inconceivable even to the great demigods.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Learn How Kṛṣṇa Directs Creation

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Parīkṣit already knew that creation comes from the Lord’s energy; he wanted to understand the process. His example teaches us to bring questions about the Lord to a qualified spiritual master.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s creative energy does not act independently or automatically, but under His supervision. Even great demigods can be bewildered by its wonderful workings.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the cause of all causes; His body is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. The King and his teacher proceeded systematically through Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam rather than jumping directly to the Lord’s intimate pastimes.

Key points from the purport
  • In every inquisitive mind the important question of the creation of the phenomenal world arises, and therefore for a personality like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was to know all the activities of the Lord from his spiritual master, such an inquiry is not uncommon.
  • Those who are under the control of the external energy of the Lord, or in other words those who are in the material world, must first of all know how the external energy of the Lord is working under the direction of the Supreme Personality, and afterwards one may try to enter into the activities of His internal energy.
  • Therefore the neophyte devotee, instead of jumping at once to the platform of transcendental pastimes presented by the internal energy of the Lord, may know how great the Supreme Lord is by inquiring about the process of His creative energy.

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 2.4.6 quotesBG 9.10

The Lord’s supervision in connection with creation is mentioned even in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10), and it is clearly said there that material energy is a manifestation of one of many such energies of the Supreme (parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate).

The purport of SB 2.4.6 quotesBG 9.11

They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.”

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

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhūyaḥagain
  2. evaalso
  3. vivitsāmiI wish to learn
  4. bhagavānthe Personality of Godhead
  5. ātmapersonal
  6. māyayāby the energies
  7. yathāas
  8. idamthis phenomenal world
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sarga · The creation of the universe

    Where does the universe come from? · Subject 1 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”

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 can I approach questions about creation with humility and a willingness to learn systematically?

Practice

Write down one question about the Lord’s creative energies to ask a qualified spiritual teacher.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLearn How Kṛṣṇa Directs CreationThis 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 2.4.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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