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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
2.5.22.5.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.5.3

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 2.5.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Brahmā → Nārada Muni

सर्वं ह्येतद् भवान् वेद भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभु: ।

करामलकवद् विश्वं विज्ञानावसितं तव ॥ ३ ॥

sarvaṁ hy etad bhavān veda

bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuḥ

karāmalaka-vad viśvaṁ

vijñānāvasitaṁ tava

Translation

My dear father, all this is known to you scientifically because whatever was created in the past, whatever will be created in the future, or whatever is being created at present, as well as everything within the universe, is within your grip, just like a walnut.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Learn About Creation From Its Direct Manager

  1. 1

    Brahmā is the direct creator of the manifested universe and everything within it. He therefore knows its creative activities in the past, present and future.

  2. 2

    The living being, the manifested world and the controller are continuously active. As the direct manager, Brahmā knows these actions and reactions like a walnut held in his palm.

  3. 3

    A manufacturer knows how he learned his work, where the ingredients came from and how the products are made. Similarly, Brahmā, the firstborn living being, knows the functions of creation.

Key points from the purport
  • Brahmā is the direct creator of the manifested universe and everything within the universe.
  • Three principal items, namely the living being, the phenomenal world and the controller, are all in continuous action — past, present and future — and the direct manager is supposed to know everything of such actions and reactions, as one knows about a walnut within the grip of one’s palm.
  • Because Brahmā is the firstborn living being, naturally he is supposed to know everything about creative functions.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sarvamall and everything
  2. hicertainly
  3. etatthis
  4. bhavānyour good self
  5. vedaknow
  6. bhūtaall that is created or born
  7. bhavyaall that will be created or born
  8. bhavatall that is being created
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 2.5

    In this verse: “father”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Why does the source of my information matter when I seek to understand creation?

Practice

List the three things a manufacturer must know: the source of his skill, his ingredients and his process.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLearn About Creation From Its Direct ManagerThis 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 2.5.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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