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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 24: The Renunciation of Kardama Muni
3.24.453.24.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.24.46

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.24.41inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

आत्मानं सर्वभूतेषु भगवन्तमवस्थितम् ।

अपश्यत्सर्वभूतानि भगवत्यपि चात्मनि ॥ ४६ ॥

ātmānaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu

bhagavantam avasthitam

apaśyat sarva-bhūtāni

bhagavaty api cātmani

Translation

He began to see that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is seated in everyone’s heart, and that everyone is existing on Him, because He is the Supersoul of everyone.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

See Everyone's Dependence on the Lord

  1. 1

    Everyone exists in dependence on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This does not mean that every living being is also Godhead.

  2. 2

    The neophyte offers service to the Deity without fully understanding devotional science. The intermediate devotee distinguishes between God, devotees, nondevotees and the innocent, and deals with them accordingly.

  3. 3

    The advanced devotee sees Paramātmā seated in everyone's heart. Such a devotee also sees that everything depends on the Supreme Lord's transcendental energy.

Key points from the purport
  • That everyone is existing on the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not mean that everyone is also Godhead.
  • This is also explained in Bhagavad-gītā: everything is resting on Him, the Supreme Lord, but that does not mean that the Supreme Lord is also everywhere.
  • But a person who sees that the Lord is sitting as Paramātmā in everyone’s heart and that everything is depending or existing on the transcendental energy of the Supreme Lord is in the highest devotional position.

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

Longing and service → Preparedness. Family devotion turns toward higher spiritual fulfillment.

Chapters 20–24 of Canto 3: Kardama, Devahūti, family and renunciation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 24: The Renunciation of Kardama Muni

Kapila appears as Devahūti’s son, the daughters marry, and Kardama renounces family life with the Lord’s permission.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.24
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ātmānamthe Supersoul
  2. sarva-bhūteṣuin all living beings
  3. bhagavantamthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. avasthitamsituated
  5. apaśyathe saw
  6. sarva-bhūtāniall living beings
  7. bhagavatiin the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  8. apimoreover
  9. caand
  10. ātmanion the Supersoul
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.24

    In this verse: “devotional”, “devotee”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.24

    In this verse: “understanding”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could remembering the Supersoul in everyone's heart affect the way I regard others?

Practice

When meeting someone today, quietly remember that the Supreme Lord is in that person's heart and that both of you depend on Him.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySee Everyone's Dependence on the 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 3.24.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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