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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 5: Vidura’s Talks with Maitreya
3.5.213.5.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.5.22

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.5.18inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

अथ ते भगवल्लीला योगमायोरुबृंहिता: ।

विश्वस्थित्युद्भवान्तार्था वर्णयाम्यनुपूर्वश: ॥ २२ ॥

atha te bhagaval-līlā

yoga-māyorubṛṁhitāḥ

viśva-sthity-udbhavāntārthā

varṇayāmy anupūrvaśaḥ

Translation

I shall therefore describe to you the pastimes by which the Personality of Godhead extends His transcendental potency for the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic world as they occur one after another.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Creation Displays the Lord’s Potency

  1. 1

    Maitreya offers to describe the Personality of Godhead’s pastimes systematically. These include the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic world.

  2. 2

    The omnipotent Lord can perform anything and everything He likes through His different energies.

  3. 3

    The cosmic creation is brought about by His yoga-māyā energy. It displays the extension of His transcendental potency.

Key points from the purport
  • The omnipotent Lord, by His different energies, can perform anything and everything He likes.
  • The creation of the cosmic world is done by His yoga-māyā energy.

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 5: Vidura’s Talks with Maitreya

Vidura meets Maitreya, who begins explaining the Lord’s activities and the unfolding of material creation.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.5
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athatherefore
  2. teunto you
  3. bhagavatpertaining to the Personality of Godhead
  4. līlāḥpastimes
  5. yoga-māyāenergy of the Lord
  6. urugreatly
  7. bṛṁhitāḥextended by
  8. viśvaof the cosmic world
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sarga · The creation of the universe

    Where does the universe come from? · Subject 1 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does understanding creation as the Lord’s activity change the way I view the world?

Practice

Read the translation slowly, noting creation, maintenance and dissolution as activities of the Lord’s potency.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCreation Displays the Lord’s 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 3.5.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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