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
2.5.32.5.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.5.4

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

यद्विज्ञानो यदाधारो यत्परस्त्वं यदात्मक: ।

एक: सृजसि भूतानि भूतैरेवात्ममायया ॥ ४ ॥

yad-vijñāno yad-ādhāro

yat-paras tvaṁ yad-ātmakaḥ

ekaḥ sṛjasi bhūtāni

bhūtair evātma-māyayā

Translation

My dear father, what is the source of your knowledge? Under whose protection are you standing? And under whom are you working? What is your real position? Do you alone create all entities with material elements by your personal energy?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Creative Power Is Never Independent

  1. 1

    Nārada knew that Brahmā gained creative energy through severe austerities. He understood that a superior authority had invested Brahmā with this power.

  2. 2

    Nārada therefore asked about the source of Brahmā's knowledge, protection and authority. His questions looked beyond creative achievement to its underlying support.

  3. 3

    Scientific discovery also depends on things already existing and on an awarded brain. No one is independent in creation, nor does creation happen automatically.

Key points from the purport
  • Discoveries of progressive scientific achievements are therefore not independent.
  • The scientist has to attain the knowledge of a thing already existing by means of the wonderful brain made by someone else.
  • Therefore no one is independent in the matter of any creation, nor is such creation automatic.

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. yat-vijñānaḥthe source of knowledge
  2. yat-ādhāraḥunder whose protection
  3. yat-paraḥunder whose subordination
  4. tvamyou
  5. yat-ātmakaḥin what capacity
  6. ekaḥalone
  7. sṛjasiyou are creating
  8. bhūtānithe living entities
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 2.5

    In this verse: “protection”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.5

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • 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

Which abilities do I treat as entirely my own, forgetting what they depend upon?

Practice

Choose one achievement of yours and write down two abilities or resources it depended on.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCreative Power Is Never IndependentThis 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 2.5.4? 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