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

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Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 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 3 · Chapter 11: Calculation of Time, from the Atom
3.11.413.12.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.11.42

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

तदाहुरक्षरं ब्रह्म सर्वकारणकारणम् ।

विष्णोर्धाम परं साक्षात्पुरुषस्य महात्मन: ॥ ४२ ॥

tad āhur akṣaraṁ brahma

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

viṣṇor dhāma paraṁ sākṣāt

puruṣasya mahātmanaḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is therefore said to be the original cause of all causes. Thus the spiritual abode of Viṣṇu is eternal without a doubt, and it is also the abode of Mahā-Viṣṇu, the origin of all manifestations.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Cause of All Causes

  1. 1

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original cause of all causes. His form is eternal, full of bliss and knowledge.

  2. 2

    Mahā-Viṣṇu creates innumerable universes by His breathing while resting in yoga-nidrā on the Causal Ocean. He is a plenary portion of Kṛṣṇa and is nondifferent from Him.

  3. 3

    Mahā-Viṣṇu’s appearance in the material world is temporary, for the temporary manifestation of the material worlds. The Lord’s original form eternally resides in the spiritual abode, Vaikuṇṭha.

Key points from the purport
  • He is a plenary portion of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus although He is nondifferent from Lord Kṛṣṇa, His formal appearance in the material world as an incarnation is temporary.
  • The original form of the Personality of Godhead is actually the svarūpa, or real form, and He eternally resides in the Vaikuṇṭha world (Viṣṇuloka).
  • The word mahātmanaḥ is used here to indicate Mahā-Viṣṇu, and His real manifestation is Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is called parama, as confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā:

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tatthat
  2. āhuḥis said
  3. akṣaraminfallible
  4. brahmathe supreme
  5. sarva-kāraṇaall causes
  6. kāraṇamthe supreme cause
  7. viṣṇoḥ dhāmathe spiritual abode of Viṣṇu
  8. paramthe supreme
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.11

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.11

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can remembering Kṛṣṇa as the original cause of all causes deepen my devotion to Him?

Practice

Today, slowly read the quoted description of Kṛṣṇa’s eternal form as a small act of devotion, giving attention to each quality.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Cause of All CausesThis 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 3.11.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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