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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 5: The Cause of All Causes
2.5.112.5.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.5.12

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 2.5.9inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Brahmā → Nārada Muni

तस्मै नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय धीमहि ।

यन्मायया दुर्जयया मां वदन्ति जगद्गुरुम् ॥ १२ ॥

tasmai namo bhagavate

vāsudevāya dhīmahi

yan-māyayā durjayayā

māṁ vadanti jagad-gurum

Translation

I offer my obeisances and meditate upon Lord Kṛṣṇa [Vāsudeva], the Personality of Godhead, whose invincible potency influences them [the less intelligent class of men] to call me the supreme controller.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Brahmājī Worships Kṛṣṇa, Not Himself

  1. 1

    The Lord’s illusory potency bewilders people into accepting Brahmājī or another person as the Supreme Lord.

  2. 2

    Brahmājī knows his actual position and refuses to be called supreme. He offers obeisances to Vāsudeva, or Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is the primeval Lord and the ultimate cause of all causes. A responsible spiritual authority worships Him rather than accepting His position.

Key points from the purport
  • As will be more clearly explained in the next verse, the illusory potency of the Lord bewilders the less intelligent to accept Brahmājī, or for that matter any other person, as the Supreme Lord.
  • Brahmājī, however, refuses to be called this, and he directly offers his respectful obeisances unto Lord Vāsudeva, or Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, as he has already offered the same respects to Him in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.1):
  • Brahmājī is conscious of his actual position, and he knows how less intelligent persons, bewildered by the illusory energy of the Lord, whimsically accept anyone and everyone as God.

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 5: The Cause of All Causes

Nārada questions Brahmā, who explains his dependence on the Supreme Lord and describes creation.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.5
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasmaiunto Him
  2. namaḥoffer my obeisances
  3. bhagavateunto the Personality of Godhead
  4. vāsudevāyaunto Lord Kṛṣṇa
  5. dhīmahido meditate upon Him
  6. yatby whose
  7. māyayāpotencies
  8. durjayayāinvincible
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.5

    In this verse: “worships”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What can I learn from Brahmājī’s refusal to accept honor that belongs to the Lord?

Practice

Offer one respectful obeisance to Lord Kṛṣṇa and spend a quiet moment remembering Him.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBrahmājī Worships Kṛṣṇa, Not HimselfThis 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 2.5.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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