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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
2.9.432.9.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.9.44

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

तस्मा इदं भागवतं पुराणं दशलक्षणम् ।

प्रोक्तं भगवता प्राह प्रीत: पुत्राय भूतकृत् ॥ ४४ ॥

tasmā idaṁ bhāgavataṁ

purāṇaṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam

proktaṁ bhagavatā prāha

prītaḥ putrāya bhūta-kṛt

Translation

Thereupon the supplementary Vedic literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which was described by the Personality of Godhead and which contains ten characteristics, was told with satisfaction by the father [Brahmā] to his son Nārada.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Has Unlimited Spiritual Potency

  1. 1

    Brahmā happily taught Nārada the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam spoken by the Personality of Godhead. Although first spoken in four verses, it contains ten characteristics.

  2. 2

    The Lord existed before creation and is the root of everything. The remaining verses are not useless; they explain fully what is contained in the four original verses.

  3. 3

    Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the sound representation of the Lord, not ordinary fiction or mundane literature. Following the authorities, one may expand its explanation, yet its unlimited potency can never be exhausted.

Key points from the purport
  • Although the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was spoken in four verses, it had ten characteristics, which will be explained in the next chapter.
  • In the four verses it is first said that the Lord existed before the creation, and thus the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam includes the Vedānta aphorism janmādy asya.
  • Janmādy asya is the beginning, yet the four verses in which it is said that the Lord is the root of everything that be, beginning from the creation up to the supreme abode of the Lord, naturally explain the ten characteristics.

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

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasmaithereupon
  2. idamthis
  3. bhāgavatamthe glories of the Lord or the science of the Lord
  4. purāṇamVedic supplement
  5. daśa-lakṣaṇamten characteristics
  6. proktamdescribed
  7. bhagavatāby the Personality of Godhead
  8. prāhasaid
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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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “father”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might seeing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the Lord’s sound representation change the way I read it?

Practice

Reread this translation slowly today, remembering that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the sound representation of the Lord.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam Has Unlimited Spiritual PotencyThis 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 2.9.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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