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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 8: Manifestation of Brahmā from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu
3.8.293.8.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.8.30

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.8.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

चराचरौको भगवन्महीध्र-

महीन्द्रबन्धुं सलिलोपगूढम् ।

किरीटसाहस्रहिरण्यश‍ृङ्ग-

माविर्भवत्कौस्तुभरत्नगर्भम् ॥ ३० ॥

carācarauko bhagavan-mahīdhram

ahīndra-bandhuṁ salilopagūḍham

kirīṭa-sāhasra-hiraṇya-śṛṅgam

āvirbhavat kaustubha-ratna-garbham

Translation

Like a great mountain, the Lord stands as the abode for all moving and nonmoving living entities. He is the friend of the snakes because Lord Ananta is His friend. As a mountain has thousands of golden peaks, so the Lord was seen with the thousands of golden-helmeted hoods of Ananta-nāga; and as a mountain is sometimes filled with jewels, so also His transcendental body was fully decorated with valuable jewels. As a mountains is sometimes submerged in the ocean water, so the Lord is sometimes submerged in the water of devastation.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Is Every Living Entity’s Abode

  1. 1

    Like a great mountain, the Lord is the abode of all moving and nonmoving living entities. He is the friend of the snakes because Lord Ananta is His friend.

  2. 2

    Ananta-nāga’s thousands of golden-helmeted hoods resembled golden mountain peaks. The Lord’s transcendental body was fully decorated with valuable jewels.

  3. 3

    As a mountain may be submerged in ocean water, the Lord is sometimes submerged in the water of devastation.

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 8: Manifestation of Brahmā from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu

Brahmā searches for his origin upon the lotus arising from Viṣṇu and beholds the Lord.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. caramoving animals
  2. acaranonmoving trees
  3. okaḥthe place or situation
  4. bhagavatthe Personality of Godhead
  5. mahīdhramthe mountain
  6. ahi-indraŚrī Anantadeva
  7. bandhumfriend
  8. salilawater
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.8

    In this verse: “friend”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does it mean to me that the Lord is the abode of all moving and nonmoving beings?

Practice

When you see a moving being and a plant today, remember that the Lord is the abode of both.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Is Every Living Entity’s AbodeThis 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 3.8.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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