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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 9: Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version

2.9.25 2.9.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.9.26

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 2.9.25inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitThe Supreme Lord → Lord Brahmā

तथापि नाथमानस्य नाथ नाथय नाथितम् ।

परावरे यथा रूपे जानीयां ते त्वरूपिण: ॥ २६ ॥

tathāpi nāthamānasya

nātha nāthaya nāthitam

parāvare yathā rūpe

jānīyāṁ te tv arūpiṇaḥ

Translation

In spite of that, my Lord, I am praying to You to kindly fulfill my desire. May I please be informed how, in spite of Your transcendental form, You assume the mundane form, although You have no such form at all.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pray to Understand the Lord’s Form

1
The prayer asks the Lord kindly to fulfill a desire for understanding.
2
The Lord has a transcendental form, yet He is described as assuming a mundane form.
3
The question asks how this is possible when the Lord has no mundane form at all.

How it feels

Inquiry → Conviction. Divine knowledge resolves fundamental cosmic uncertainty.

Chapters 8–10 of Canto 2: Parīkṣit questions; Brahmā receives revelation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 9: Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version

The Lord receives Brahmā, explains His eternal existence, and instructs him to remain fixed and free from pride.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.9

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tathā apiin spite of that
nāthamānasyaof the one who is asking for
nāthaO Lord
nāthayaplease award
nāthitamas it is desired
para-avarein the matter of mundane and transcendental
yathāas it is
rūpein the form

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
Karuṇā · Compassion
Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 2.9
In this verse: “kindly”
Jñāna · Spiritual insight
Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.9
In this verse: “understanding”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Can I bring my questions about the Lord to Him in a humble prayer?

Practice

Read the translation slowly and offer a brief prayer to understand the Lord’s transcendental form.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPray to Understand the Lord’s FormThis 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 2.9.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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