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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
2.5.342.5.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.5.35

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

स एव पुरुषस्तस्मादण्डं निर्भिद्य निर्गत: ।

सहस्रोर्वङ्‌घ्रिबाह्वक्ष: सहस्राननशीर्षवान् ॥ ३५ ॥

sa eva puruṣas tasmād

aṇḍaṁ nirbhidya nirgataḥ

sahasrorv-aṅghri-bāhv-akṣaḥ

sahasrānana-śīrṣavān

Translation

The Lord [Mahā-Viṣṇu], although lying in the Causal Ocean, came out of it, and dividing Himself as Hiraṇyagarbha, He entered into each universe and assumed the virāṭ-rūpa, with thousands of legs, arms, mouths, heads, etc.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Enters Every Universe

  1. 1

    Mahā-Viṣṇu, lying in the Causal Ocean, expands as Hiraṇyagarbha and enters each universe. His presence is not limited to a single universe.

  2. 2

    Within each universe, the Lord assumes the virāṭ-rūpa, or universal form. This form is described as having thousands of legs, arms, mouths and heads.

  3. 3

    The planetary systems within each universe are situated in different parts of the Lord's universal form. The purport introduces this arrangement of the planets.

Key points from the purport
  • The expansions of the planetary systems within each and every universe are situated in the different parts of the virāṭ-rūpa (universal form) of the Lord, and they are described as follows.

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. saḥHe (the Lord)
  2. evaHimself
  3. puruṣaḥthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. tasmātfrom within the universe
  5. aṇḍamHiraṇyagarbha
  6. nirbhidyadividing
  7. nirgataḥcame out
  8. sahasrathousands
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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does contemplating the Lord's universal form broaden my sense of His greatness?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once today, pausing to contemplate the vastness of the Lord's universal form.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Enters Every 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 2.5.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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