1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 2 · The Cosmic Manifestation · 10 chapters

12345678910

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
2.5.332.5.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.5.34

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

वर्षपूगसहस्रान्ते तदण्डमुदकेशयम् ।

कालकर्मस्वभावस्थो जीवोऽजीवमजीवयत् ॥ ३४ ॥

varṣa-pūga-sahasrānte

tad aṇḍam udake śayam

kāla-karma-svabhāva-stho

jīvo ’jīvam ajīvayat

Translation

Thus all the universes remained thousands of aeons within the water [the Causal Ocean], and the Lord of living beings, entering in each of them, caused them to be fully animated.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Gives Life to Each Universe

  1. 1

    After the universes remained in the Causal Ocean for thousands of aeons, the Lord entered each one and caused it to be animated. He is the leader of all living entities.

  2. 2

    The Lord and the living entities are related like father and sons: qualitatively equal, yet distinct. Material nature acts as the mother, while the Lord is the father.

  3. 3

    After annihilation, living entities remain merged within the Lord's body; after creation, they are placed again within material energy. Their activities resume under time and energy, but the Lord is ultimately the cause of all animation.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord is described here as the jīva because He is the leader of all other jīvas (living entities).
  • After each annihilation of the material creation, all the living entities are merged within the body of the Lord, and after creation they are again impregnated within the material energy.
  • In material existence, therefore, the material energy is seemingly the mother of the living entities, and the Lord is the father.

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· 1

The purport of SB 2.5.34 quotesBG 14.3

So, as described above, the Lord as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu or Hiraṇyagarbha Supersoul enters into each and every universe and causes it to be animated by begetting the living entities within the womb of the material nature, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.3).

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

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. varṣa-pūgamany years
  2. sahasra-anteof thousands of years
  3. tatthat
  4. aṇḍamthe universal globe
  5. udakein the causal water
  6. śayambeing drowned
  7. kālaeternal time
  8. karmaaction
3

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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “mother”, “father”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.5

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What changes in my outlook when I see other living beings as sons of the same divine father?

Practice

Observe a living being today and quietly remember the Lord as its father and the ultimate cause of its animation.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Gives Life to Each UniverseThis 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 2.5.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories