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 6: Puruṣa-sūkta Confirmed
2.6.312.6.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.6.32

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 2.6.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Brahmā → Nārada Muni

सृजामि तन्नियुक्तोऽहं हरो हरति तद्वश: ।

विश्वं पुरुषरूपेण परिपाति त्रिशक्तिधृक् ॥ ३२ ॥

sṛjāmi tan-niyukto ’haṁ

haro harati tad-vaśaḥ

viśvaṁ puruṣa-rūpeṇa

paripāti tri-śakti-dhṛk

Translation

By His will, I create, Lord Śiva destroys, and He Himself, in His eternal form as the Personality of Godhead, maintains everything. He is the powerful controller of these three energies.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is Supreme Above All

  1. 1

    Brahmā creates and Śiva destroys under the Lord's authority. In His eternal form as Viṣṇu, the Lord maintains everything and controls their affairs.

  2. 2

    Lord Vāsudeva is one without a second, yet He can expand Himself and display His unlimited powers. Lord Kṛṣṇa affirms that there is nothing above Him.

  3. 3

    The Lord's primary energies are internal, marginal and external. The living entities belong to His spiritual marginal potency, but none is equal to or greater than the Supreme Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • In the material world also, Lord Vāsudeva is everything, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19).
  • The Lord is described here as omnipotent by three energies (tri-śakti-dhṛk).
  • The marginal potency, or the living entities, is also spiritual (prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām), but the living entities are never equal to the Lord.

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· 4

The purport of SB 2.6.32 quotesBG 7.19

In the material world also, Lord Vāsudeva is everything, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19).

The purport of SB 2.6.32 quotesBG 7.7

And Lord Kṛṣṇa affirms the same truth in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.7).

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 20.318

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.6.32).

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 21.37

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.6.32).

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 6: Puruṣa-sūkta Confirmed

Brahmā describes the universal form, his sacrifice, and the Lord’s control over creation, maintenance, and destruction.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sṛjāmido create
  2. tatby His
  3. niyuktaḥappointment
  4. ahamI
  5. haraḥLord Śiva
  6. haratidestroys
  7. tat-vaśaḥunder His subordination
  8. viśvamthe whole universe
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

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does it mean for me to be spiritual yet always subordinate to the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer acknowledging Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and yourself as His subordinate.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Supreme Above AllThis 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 2.6.32? 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