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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 6: Creation of the Universal Form
3.6.13.6.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.6.2

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.6.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

कालसंज्ञां तदा देवीं बिभ्रच्छक्तिमुरुक्रम: ।

त्रयोविंशतितत्त्वानां गणं युगपदाविशत् ॥ २ ॥

kāla-sañjñāṁ tadā devīṁ

bibhrac-chaktim urukramaḥ

trayoviṁśati tattvānāṁ

gaṇaṁ yugapad āviśat

Translation

The Supreme Powerful Lord then simultaneously entered into the twenty-three elements with the goddess Kālī, His external energy, who alone amalgamates all the different elements.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Ultimate Cause

  1. 1

    The Supreme Powerful Lord entered the twenty-three material elements with His external energy, Kālī. Material nature is not the final source of creation.

  2. 2

    Time combines the material elements and later dissolves them. This energy acts under the Lord’s direction.

  3. 3

    The Lord enters the universes and every atom through His expansions. The wonderful activities of material nature depend on Lord Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Godhead and ultimate cause of all causes.

Key points from the purport
  • The energy which acts as material nature in a combination of twenty-three ingredients is not the final source of creation.
  • The Lord enters into the elements and applies His energy, called Kālī.
  • The wonderful activities of material nature are due to Lord Kṛṣṇa, and thus He is the final cause, or the ultimate cause of all causes.

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 3.6.2 quotesBG 10.42

Similarly, this is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (10.42): “O Arjuna, there is no necessity of your knowing about My innumerable energies, which act in various ways.

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 6: Creation of the Universal Form

The Lord enters the material elements, manifesting the universal form with its senses, deities, and social orders.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kāla-sañjñāmknown as Kālī
  2. tadāat that time
  3. devīmthe goddess
  4. bibhratdestructive
  5. śaktimpotency
  6. urukramaḥthe supreme powerful
  7. trayaḥ-viṁśatitwenty-three
  8. tattvānāmof the elements
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.6

    In this verse: “material”

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

When I admire material nature, do I remember Kṛṣṇa as its ultimate cause?

Practice

Look at one feature of nature today and take a moment to remember Kṛṣṇa as its ultimate cause.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Ultimate CauseThis 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 3.6.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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