1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 3 · Chapter 11: Calculation of Time, from the Atom
3.11.313.11.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.11.32

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.11.18inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

अन्त: स तस्मिन् सलिल आस्तेऽनन्तासनो हरि: ।

योगनिद्रानिमीलाक्ष: स्तूयमानो जनालयै: ॥ ३२ ॥

antaḥ sa tasmin salila

āste ’nantāsano hariḥ

yoga-nidrā-nimīlākṣaḥ

stūyamāno janālayaiḥ

Translation

The Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, lies down in the water on the seat of Ananta, with His eyes closed, and the inhabitants of the Janaloka planets offer unto the Lord their glorious prayers with folded hands.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Sleep Is Transcendental

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead rests in the water on Ananta, with His eyes closed. The inhabitants of Janaloka offer glorious prayers with folded hands.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s sleep is not like our sleep. His yoga-nidrā is a manifestation of His internal potency.

  3. 3

    The word yoga here refers to what is transcendental. Transcendental activities are always present and are glorified by great sages like Bhṛgu.

Key points from the purport
  • We should not understand the sleeping condition of the Lord to be the same as our sleep.
  • Whenever the word yoga is used it should be understood to refer to that which is transcendental.
  • In the transcendental stage all activities are always present, and they are glorified by prayers of great sages like Bhṛgu.

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

Mystery → Cosmic wonder. The origin of the world is revealed through inquiry and divine grace.

Chapters 5–12 of Canto 3: Creation and Brahmā's bewilderment. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 11: Calculation of Time, from the Atom

Maitreya describes time from atomic measurements to Brahmā’s lifespan, along with cycles of creation and devastation.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. antaḥwithin
  2. saḥthat
  3. tasminin that
  4. salilewater
  5. āstethere is
  6. anantaAnanta
  7. āsanaḥon the seat of
  8. hariḥthe Lord
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.11

    In this verse: “glorified”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I sometimes measure the Lord’s activities by my own bodily experience?

Practice

With folded hands, offer a short prayer glorifying the Lord’s transcendental activities.

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 3.11's connections

Live this todayThe Lord’s Sleep Is TranscendentalThis 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 3.11.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories