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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
2.7.502.7.52

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.7.51

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

इदं भागवतं नाम यन्मे भगवतोदितम् ।

संग्रहोऽयं विभूतीनां त्वमेतद् विपुलीकुरु ॥ ५१ ॥

idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma

yan me bhagavatoditam

saṅgraho ’yaṁ vibhūtīnāṁ

tvam etad vipulī kuru

Translation

O Nārada, this science of God, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, was spoken to me in summary by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it was spoken as the accumulation of His diverse potencies. Please expand this science yourself.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Receive the Bhāgavatam Through Disciplic Succession

  1. 1

    Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the science of God and is nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is His direct incarnation in transcendental sound.

  2. 2

    Brahmājī received this knowledge directly from the Lord and passed it to Nārada, who instructed Śrīla Vyāsadeva to expand it. This knowledge is eternal, perfect and beyond the material modes, not a product of mental speculation.

  3. 3

    One should hear this science from a bona fide representative in disciplic succession. The purport warns against professional reciters who earn their livelihood by gratifying their audience’s senses.

Key points from the purport
  • The Bhāgavatam in a nutshell, spoken by the Personality of Godhead in about half a dozen verses, which will appear ahead, is the science of God, and it is the potent representation of the Personality of Godhead.
  • Brahmājī received this science of Godhead from the Lord directly, and he handed over the same to Nārada, who in his turn ordered Śrīla Vyāsadeva to expand it.
  • Therefore unless one hears the science of Godhead from the bona fide representative of the disciplic succession, as above mentioned, for one to understand the theme of the science of Godhead will be a difficult job.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. idamthis
  2. bhāgavatamthe science of Godhead
  3. nāmaof the name
  4. yatthat which
  5. meunto me
  6. bhagavatāby the Personality of Godhead
  7. uditamenlightened
  8. saṅgrahaḥis the accumulation of
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”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “reciters”

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

Am I seeking faithful spiritual instruction, or mainly something that pleases my senses?

Practice

Read this translation and purport attentively, noting how the knowledge is received and passed on.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReceive the Bhāgavatam Through Disciplic SuccessionThis 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 2.7.51? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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