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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

2.5.31 2.5.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.5.32

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

यदैतेऽसङ्गता भावा भूतेन्द्रियमनोगुणा: ।

यदायतननिर्माणे न शेकुर्ब्रह्मवित्तम ॥ ३२ ॥

yadaite ’saṅgatā bhāvā

bhūtendriya-mano-guṇāḥ

yadāyatana-nirmāṇe

na śekur brahma-vittama

Translation

O Nārada, best of the transcendentalists, the forms of the body cannot take place as long as these created parts, namely the elements, senses, mind and modes of nature, are not assembled.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

You Are Separate from the Bodily Machine

1
A body cannot form until the elements, senses, mind and modes of nature are assembled. Like the parts of a motorcar, these parts must come together before the body can be used.
2
The living entity is not the body but a spiritual spark, part and parcel of the Supreme Being. The living entity sits within the bodily machine, which moves under the control of material nature.
3
By the Lord's kindness, living beings receive a little freedom to act according to their desires. Yet material nature remains under His control, and bodily parts are assembled by His will.

Key points from the purport

But the less intelligent material scientist cannot understand the process of assembling the parts of the body, namely the senses, the mind and the qualities of the material modes.
The living entities are exactly like small children playing the material field under the control of the maidservant of the Lord (nature).
The parts of the body, such as the senses, are the creation of the mahat-tattva, and when they are assembled by the will of the Lord, the material body comes into existence, and the living entity is allowed to use it for further activities.

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 2.5.32 quotesBG 18.61

This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.61): the living entity is as if seated on the machine of the body, and the car of the body is moving by the control of material nature, just as the railway trains are moving under the direction of the controller.

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.85.6

Thus when all these became assembled by the force of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this universe certainly came into being by accepting both the primary and secondary causes of creation.”

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

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yadāas long as
eteall these
asaṅgatāḥwithout being assembled
bhāvāḥremained so situated
bhūtaelements
indriyasenses
manaḥmind
guṇāḥmodes of nature

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
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.5
In this verse: “material”
Karuṇā · Compassion
Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 2.5
In this verse: “kindness”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might remembering that I am separate from my body change the way I use it?

Practice

Before one bodily activity today, pause and reflect: “I am a spiritual spark, not this bodily machine.”

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayYou Are Separate from the Bodily MachineThis 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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