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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 9: Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version
2.9.412.9.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.9.42

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.9.38inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मायां विविदिषन् विष्णोर्मायेशस्य महामुनि: ।

महाभागवतो राजन् पितरं पर्यतोषयत् ॥ ४२ ॥

māyāṁ vividiṣan viṣṇor

māyeśasya mahā-muniḥ

mahā-bhāgavato rājan

pitaraṁ paryatoṣayat

Translation

Nārada very much pleased his father and desired to know all about the energies of Viṣṇu, the master of all energies, for Nārada was the greatest of all sages and greatest of all devotees, O King.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Inquire About the Unlimited Lord

  1. 1

    Nārada inherited devotional service from Brahmā. His good behavior, obedience, meekness and readiness to serve made him his father’s most beloved son.

  2. 2

    Nārada is the greatest of sages because he is the greatest of devotees. His business is to turn everyone toward transcendental loving service of the Lord.

  3. 3

    The Supreme Lord and His energies are unlimited, and no one can know them completely. Devotees therefore seek to learn more by inquiring from a spiritual master in the disciplic succession.

Key points from the purport
  • Nārada is the spiritual master of many famous devotees of the Lord.
  • The devotees are always anxious to know more and more about the Supreme Lord, the master of all energies.
  • Thus it is the duty of everyone to ask about the unlimited Lord from the spiritual master in the disciplic succession of Brahmā, which descends from Nārada to Vyāsa, from Vyāsa to Śukadeva and so on.

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 2.9.42 quotesBG 10.9

As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.9): The Supreme Lord is unlimited, and His energies are also unlimited.

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

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

Further reading

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. māyāmenergies
  2. vividiṣandesiring to know
  3. viṣṇoḥof the Personality of Godhead
  4. māyā-īśasyaof the master of all energies
  5. mahā-muniḥthe great sage
  6. mahā-bhāgavataḥthe first-class devotee of the Lord
  7. rājanO King
  8. pitaramunto his father
  9. paryatoṣayatvery much pleased
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.9

    In this verse: “devotees”, “devotional service”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 2.9

    In this verse: “father”, “father’s”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 2.9

    In this verse: “king”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What would I sincerely like to understand about the Lord and His energies?

Practice

Write one sincere question about the Lord’s energies to ask a spiritual master in the disciplic succession.

5

The story around it

The story 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 2.9's connections

Live this todayInquire About the Unlimited LordThis 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 2.9.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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