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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 6: Creation of the Universal Form
3.6.43.6.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.6.5

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

परेण विशता स्वस्मिन्मात्रया विश्वसृग्गण: ।

चुक्षोभान्योन्यमासाद्य यस्मिन्लोकाश्चराचरा: ॥ ५ ॥

pareṇa viśatā svasmin

mātrayā viśva-sṛg-gaṇaḥ

cukṣobhānyonyam āsādya

yasmin lokāś carācarāḥ

Translation

As the Lord, in His plenary portion, entered into the elements of the universal creation, they transformed into the gigantic form in which all the planetary systems and all movable and immovable creations rest.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Matter Depends on the Touch of Spirit

  1. 1

    The elements of creation transformed into the gigantic universal form when the Lord entered them through His plenary portion. All planets and movable and immovable creations rest within that form.

  2. 2

    Matter is a product of spirit and does not develop independently. The purport compares cosmic growth with the growth of a body while spiritual consciousness is present.

  3. 3

    The tiny individual soul is not the cause of the universal manifestation. The universal form is called virāṭ-rūpa because the Supreme Lord is within it through His plenary portion.

Key points from the purport
  • The elements of cosmic creation are all matter and have no potency to increase in volume unless entered into by the Lord in His plenary portion.
  • One should not, however, foolishly think that the individual infinitesimal soul is the cause of the gigantic manifestation of the universal form.
  • The universal form is called the virāṭ-rūpa because the Supreme Lord is within it in His plenary portion.

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 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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pareṇaby the Lord
  2. viśatāthus entering
  3. svasminby His own self
  4. mātrayāby a plenary portion
  5. viśva-sṛkthe elements of universal creation
  6. gaṇaḥall
  7. cukṣobhatransformed
  8. anyonyamone another
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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

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

Do I give greater importance to the material body or to the spiritual consciousness within it?

Practice

Take one minute today to reflect on the purport’s distinction between a growing living body and a body without spiritual consciousness.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMatter Depends on the Touch of SpiritThis 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 3.6.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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