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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.
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Canto 2 · Chapter 5: The Cause of All Causes
2.5.152.5.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.5.16

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

नारायणपरो योगो नारायणपरं तप: ।

नारायणपरं ज्ञानं नारायणपरा गति: ॥ १६ ॥

nārāyaṇa-paro yogo

nārāyaṇa-paraṁ tapaḥ

nārāyaṇa-paraṁ jñānaṁ

nārāyaṇa-parā gatiḥ

Translation

All different types of meditation or mysticism are means for realizing Nārāyaṇa. All austerities are aimed at achieving Nārāyaṇa. Culture of transcendental knowledge is for getting a glimpse of Nārāyaṇa, and ultimately salvation is entering the kingdom of Nārāyaṇa.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Nārāyaṇa Is the Ultimate Spiritual Destination

  1. 1

    Meditation, austerity and transcendental knowledge are meant for realizing Nārāyaṇa. Spiritual practice finds its purpose in reaching the Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Aṣṭāṅga-yoga concentrates the mind, while sāṅkhya-yoga distinguishes truth from temporary things. Impersonal Brahman realization is only partial realization of Nārāyaṇa.

  3. 3

    Oneness with the impersonal brahmajyoti is not ultimate liberation. Superior to it is association with the Personality of Godhead in the spiritual planets of Vaikuṇṭha.

Key points from the purport
  • But ultimately both systems are meant for realizing the impersonal Brahman, which is but a partial representation of Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead.
  • Impersonal Brahman is situated on the person of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and, as such, Brahman is the glorification of the Personality of the Godhead.
  • Therefore the conclusion is that Nārāyaṇa, or the Personality of Godhead, is the ultimate destination for all kinds of yoga systems as well as all kinds of liberation.

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. nārāyaṇa-paraḥjust to know Nārāyaṇa
  2. yogaḥconcentration of mind
  3. nārāyaṇa-paramjust with an aim to achieve Nārāyaṇa
  4. tapaḥausterity
  5. nārāyaṇa-paramjust to realize a glimpse of Nārāyaṇa
  6. jñānamculture of transcendental knowledge
  7. nārāyaṇa-parāthe path of salvation ends by entering the kingdom of Nārāyaṇa
  8. gatiḥprogressive path
3

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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.5

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 2.5

    In this verse: “kingdom”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I see spiritual practice as a means to reach the Lord, or merely as an end in itself?

Practice

Before a moment of meditation today, consciously set your aim on realizing Nārāyaṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayNārāyaṇa Is the Ultimate Spiritual DestinationThis 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.

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