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

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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
3.5.353.5.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.5.36

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

ज्योतिषाम्भोऽनुसंसृष्टं विकुर्वद्ब्रह्मवीक्षितम् ।

महीं गन्धगुणामाधात्कालमायांशयोगत: ॥ ३६ ॥

jyotiṣāmbho ’nusaṁsṛṣṭaṁ

vikurvad brahma-vīkṣitam

mahīṁ gandha-guṇām ādhāt

kāla-māyāṁśa-yogataḥ

Translation

Thereafter the water produced from electricity was glanced over by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and mixed with eternal time and external energy. Thus it was transformed into the earth, which is qualified primarily by smell.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Material Changes Depend on the Lord

  1. 1

    Water produced from electricity transforms into earth through the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s glance, eternal time and external energy. Earth is qualified primarily by smell.

  2. 2

    As the elements combine, their qualities increase: sky has sound; air adds touch; electricity adds form; water adds taste; and earth adds smell.

  3. 3

    These mixtures do not take place automatically, just as colors do not mix themselves without a painter. The workings of the physical elements take place under the Lord’s supervision.

Key points from the purport
  • The sky has only one quality, namely sound, but by the interaction of the sky with the glance of the Lord, mixed with eternal time and the external nature, the air is produced, which has two qualities: sound and touch.
  • Similarly, after the air is created, the interaction of sky and air, touched by time, the external energy of the Lord, produces electricity.
  • Next, the interaction of electricity with air and sky, mixed with time, the external energy and the Lord’s glance over them, produces water.

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· 1

The purport of SB 3.5.36 quotesBG 9.10

This fact is mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10) as follows: The conclusion is that the physical elements may work very wonderfully to the laymen’s eyes, but their workings actually take place under the supervision of the Lord.

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. jyotiṣāelectricity
  2. ambhaḥwater
  3. anusaṁsṛṣṭamthus created
  4. vikurvatdue to transformation
  5. brahmathe Supreme
  6. vīkṣitamso glanced over
  7. mahīmthe earth
  8. gandhasmell
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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

When I notice changes in nature, do I also remember the Lord’s supervision?

Practice

Notice the smell of some earth today and recall that its qualities and formation depend on the Lord’s glance.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMaterial Changes Depend 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.

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