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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
2.7.42.7.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.7.5

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

तप्तं तपो विविधलोकसिसृक्षया मे

आदौ सनात् स्वतपस: स चतु:सनोऽभूत् ।

प्राक्कल्पसम्प्लवविनष्टमिहात्मतत्त्वं

सम्यग् जगाद मुनयो यदचक्षतात्मन् ॥ ५ ॥

taptaṁ tapo vividha-loka-sisṛkṣayā me

ādau sanāt sva-tapasaḥ sa catuḥ-sano ’bhūt

prāk-kalpa-samplava-vinaṣṭam ihātma-tattvaṁ

samyag jagāda munayo yad acakṣatātman

Translation

To create different planetary systems I had to undergo austerities and penance, and the Lord, thus being pleased with me, incarnated in four sanas [Sanaka, Sanatkumāra, Sanandana and Sanātana]. In the previous creation the spiritual truth was devastated, but the four sanas explained it so nicely that the truth at once became clearly perceived by the sages.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Spiritual Knowledge Gives Creation Its Purpose

  1. 1

    The Lord and living entities are both eternal, but the Lord is eternal in the superlative degree. Living entities can fall into the atmosphere of noneternity and are therefore quantitatively different from Him.

  2. 2

    Transcendental knowledge is a prime necessity, giving conditioned souls a chance for liberation. The four sanas restored this knowledge so clearly that the sages could understand it without difficulty.

  3. 3

    When everything is offered to the Lord, He reciprocates by giving Himself to the devotee. Following the footsteps of the four Kumāras enables one to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead within oneself.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore, the living entities are quantitatively different from the superlative sanātana, the Lord.
  • This mission of Brahmājī was fulfilled by the grace of the Lord when the four sanas, namely Sanaka, Sanatkumāra, Sanandana and Sanātana, appeared as his four sons.
  • These four sanas were incarnations of the knowledge of the Supreme Lord, and as such they explained transcendental knowledge so explicitly that all the sages could at once assimilate this knowledge without the least difficulty.

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 2.7.5 quotesBG 4.11

This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.11): ye yathā māṁ prapadyante.

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 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. taptamhaving undergone austerities
  2. tapaḥpenance
  3. vividha-lokadifferent planetary systems
  4. sisṛkṣayādesiring to create
  5. meof mine
  6. ādauat first
  7. sanātfrom the Personality of Godhead
  8. sva-tapasaḥby dint of my own penances
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understand”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “devotee”

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 place do I give spiritual knowledge among the necessities of my daily life?

Practice

Reserve five minutes today to reread this purport and write one sentence about the difference between the eternal Lord and eternal living beings.

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 todaySpiritual Knowledge Gives Creation Its PurposeThis 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 2.7.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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