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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
2.5.26-292.5.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.5.30

Sarga· Creation
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

वैकारिकान्मनो जज्ञे देवा वैकारिका दश ।

दिग्वातार्कप्रचेतोऽश्विवह्नीन्द्रोपेन्द्रमित्रका: ॥ ३० ॥

vaikārikān mano jajñe

devā vaikārikā daśa

dig-vātārka-praceto ’śvi-

vahnīndropendra-mitra-kāḥ

Translation

From the mode of goodness the mind is generated and becomes manifest, as also the ten demigods controlling the bodily movements. Such demigods are known as the controller of directions, the controller of air, the sun-god, the father of Dakṣa Prajāpati, the Aśvinī-kumāras, the fire-god, the King of heaven, the worshipable deity in heaven, the chief of the Ādityas, and Brahmājī, the Prajāpati. All come into existence.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Purify the Senses by Serving Their Master

  1. 1

    The mind and the ten demigods controlling bodily movements arise from the mode of goodness. Human civilization is meant for purifying the senses, not increasing artificial sensory needs.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Lord is Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses. Conditioned living entities follow the dictation of their senses, but the Lord is never their servant.

  3. 3

    Devotees neither deny the Lord's spiritual senses nor artificially stop their own senses. They engage purified senses in His service, as Arjuna did by acting according to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa's desire.

Key points from the purport
  • The path of light is therefore to satisfy the senses of the Lord.
  • Only because of the darkness of ignorance do the yogīs and jñānīs deny the senses of the Lord and thus artificially try to control the activities of the diseased senses.
  • The devotees of the Lord do not try to deny the senses of the Lord, nor do they artificially stop the actions of the senses.

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. vaikārikātfrom the mode of goodness
  2. manaḥthe mind
  3. jajñegenerated
  4. devāḥdemigods
  5. vaikārikāḥin the mode of goodness
  6. daśaten
  7. dikthe controller of directions
  8. vātathe controller of air
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshipable”, “devotees”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 2.5

    In this verse: “king”

  • 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

Which of my sensory demands could I simplify so that satisfying the Lord becomes more important?

Practice

Set aside one unnecessary purchase today, and spend a few minutes reading this teaching with the intention of satisfying the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 2.5's connections

Live this todayPurify the Senses by Serving Their MasterThis 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 2.5.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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