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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 7: Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions
2.7.262.7.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.7.27

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 2.7.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Brahmā → Nārada Muni

तोकेन जीवहरणं यदुलूकिकाया-

स्त्रैमासिकस्य च पदा शकटोऽपवृत्त: ।

यद् रिङ्गतान्तरगतेन दिविस्पृशोर्वा

उन्मूलनं त्वितरथार्जुनयोर्न भाव्यम् ॥ २७ ॥

tokena jīva-haraṇaṁ yad ulūki-kāyās

trai-māsikasya ca padā śakaṭo ’pavṛttaḥ

yad riṅgatāntara-gatena divi-spṛśor vā

unmūlanaṁ tv itarathārjunayor na bhāvyam

Translation

There is no doubt about Lord Kṛṣṇa’s being the Supreme Lord. Otherwise, how was it possible for Him to kill a giant demon like Pūtanā when He was just on the lap of His mother, to overturn a cart with His leg when He was only three months old, or to uproot a pair of arjuna trees so high that they touched the sky, when He was only crawling? All these activities are impossible for anyone other than the Lord Himself.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is God at Every Age

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is eternally God, even as a child on His mother’s lap. Neither mental speculation, votes nor severe penances can make an ordinary living being God.

  2. 2

    Killing Pūtanā, overturning the cart and uprooting the arjuna trees reveal His supreme power. The Lord can act as Lord of the universe in any form, small or gigantic.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa played like a child to fulfill Yaśodā’s desire to love Him as her son. He preserved her maternal affection while displaying His almighty power whenever required.

Key points from the purport
  • When Kṛṣṇa was on the lap of His mother, the demon Pūtanā appeared before His mother and prayed to nurture the child in her lap.
  • But Lord Kṛṣṇa did not need to expand Himself to the length of the she-demon Pūtanā, although He was quite competent to extend Himself more than six miles long.
  • But as far as Lord Kṛṣṇa is concerned, He is God always, either as a child on the lap of His mother, or as the coverer of the universe, Vāmanadeva.

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 7: Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions

Brahmā recounts the Lord’s incarnations and explains that unalloyed surrender enables one to understand Him.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.7
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tokenaby a child
  2. jīva-haraṇamkilling a living being
  3. yatone which
  4. ulūki-kāyāḥassumed the giant body of a demon
  5. trai-māsikasyaof one who is only three months old
  6. caalso
  7. padāby the leg
  8. śakaṭaḥ apavṛttaḥturned over the cart
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “mother”, “yaśodā’s”, “mother’s”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “love”

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 Kṛṣṇa’s care for Yaśodā’s maternal love teach me about His relationship with devotees?

Practice

Read one childhood activity described here and pause to remember both Kṛṣṇa’s supreme power and His affection for His devotee.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 2.7's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is God at Every AgeThis 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 2.7.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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