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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
3.5.223.5.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.5.23

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

भगवानेक आसेदमग्र आत्मात्मनां विभु: ।

आत्मेच्छानुगतावात्मा नानामत्युपलक्षण: ॥ २३ ॥

bhagavān eka āsedam

agra ātmātmanāṁ vibhuḥ

ātmecchānugatāv ātmā

nānā-maty-upalakṣaṇaḥ

Translation

The Personality of Godhead, the master of all living entities, existed prior to the creation as one without a second. It is by His will only that creation is made possible and again everything merges in Him. This Supreme Self is symptomized by different names.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Person Exists Before Creation

  1. 1

    Maitreya’s explanation comes from hearing directly from the Lord. The original teaching refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not to the individual living entities.

  2. 2

    Before material creation, the Personality of Godhead alone existed, with His energies merged in Him. Material existence was dormant, while spiritual existence remained with the Lord.

  3. 3

    The Lord is the master of all living entities, like the sun disc in relation to the particles of its rays. By His will, material creation appears and is again withdrawn.

Key points from the purport
  • Here aham is explained as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not the individual living entities.
  • Before the creation, there was only the Personality of Godhead; there were no puruṣa incarnations and certainly no living entities, nor was there the material energy, by which the manifested creation is effected.
  • The Personality of Godhead is described herein as the master of all other living entities.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 3.5.23 quotesBG 9.7

As explained in Bhagavad-gītā (9.7), the material creation takes place at intervals by the will of the Lord, and in the periods between dissolution and creation, the living entities and the material energy remain dormant in Him.

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 25.133

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.5.23).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. bhagavānthe Personality of Godhead
  2. ekaḥone without a second
  3. āsawas there
  4. idamthis creation
  5. agreprior to the creation
  6. ātmāin His own form
  7. ātmanāmof the living entities
  8. vibhuḥmaster
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.5

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.5

    In this verse: “hearing”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does my dependence on the Supreme Personality of Godhead mean for my sense of independence?

Practice

Pause today and remember: the Lord is the master, and my existence depends on Him.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Person Exists Before CreationThis 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 3.5.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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