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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
3.6.73.6.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.6.8

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

एष ह्यशेषसत्त्वानामात्मांश: परमात्मन: ।

आद्योऽवतारो यत्रासौ भूतग्रामो विभाव्यते ॥ ८ ॥

eṣa hy aśeṣa-sattvānām

ātmāṁśaḥ paramātmanaḥ

ādyo ’vatāro yatrāsau

bhūta-grāmo vibhāvyate

Translation

The gigantic universal form of the Supreme Lord is the first incarnation and plenary portion of the Supersoul. He is the Self of an unlimited number of living entities, and in Him rests the aggregate creation, which thus flourishes.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

All Creation Rests in the Lord

  1. 1

    The gigantic universal form is the first incarnation and plenary portion of the Supersoul. The aggregate creation rests and flourishes in Him.

  2. 2

    The Lord expands through personal plenary expansions and separated minute expansions. His personal expansions are viṣṇu-tattvas, while the separated expansions are living entities.

  3. 3

    Because living entities are very small, they are described as the Lord’s marginal energy. Although some consider them identical with the Supersoul, the purport distinguishes these two kinds of expansion.

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Lord expands Himself in two ways, by personal plenary expansions and separated minute expansions.
  • The personal plenary expansions are viṣṇu-tattvas, and the separated expansions are living entities.
  • Since the living entities are very small, they are sometimes described as the marginal energy of the Lord.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. eṣaḥthis
  2. hicertainly
  3. aśeṣaunlimited
  4. sattvānāmliving entities
  5. ātmāSelf
  6. aṁśaḥpart
  7. parama-ātmanaḥof the Supersoul
  8. ādyaḥthe first
3

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

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 3.6

    In this verse: “separated”

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

How does seeing myself as a minute expansion of the Lord shape my sense of dependence on Him?

Practice

Write down the two kinds of the Lord’s expansions today, noting where the living entities belong.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAll Creation Rests in 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.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 3.6.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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