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

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Canto 4 · The Creation of the Fourth Order · 31 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 4 · Chapter 7: The Sacrifice Performed by Dakṣa
4.7.494.7.51

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.7.50

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Viṣṇusince 4.7.50inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

श्रीभगवानुवाच

अहं ब्रह्मा च शर्वश्च जगत: कारणं परम् ।

आत्मेश्वर उपद्रष्टा स्वयंद‍ृगविशेषण: ॥ ५० ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

ahaṁ brahmā ca śarvaś ca

jagataḥ kāraṇaṁ param

ātmeśvara upadraṣṭā

svayan-dṛg aviśeṣaṇaḥ

Translation

Lord Viṣṇu replied: Brahmā, Lord Śiva and I are the supreme cause of the material manifestation. I am the Supersoul, the self-sufficient witness. But impersonally there is no difference between Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Viṣṇu Is the Origin and Inner Guide

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu is the supreme cause: Brahmā appeared from His body, and Śiva appeared from Brahmā. Before creation, only Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, existed.

  2. 2

    As the Supersoul within everyone, Lord Viṣṇu directs from within. He first educated Brahmā from within the heart.

  3. 3

    Everything comes from the Lord, is maintained by Him and is dissolved by His energy. Because His energies come from Him, everything is simultaneously different from Him and the same.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Brahmā was born out of the transcendental body of Lord Viṣṇu, and Lord Śiva was born out of the body of Brahmā.
  • Nārāyaṇa, or Lord Viṣṇu, is the origin, and Brahmā and Śiva are manifested after creation.
  • In Bhagavad-gītā (10.2) Lord Kṛṣṇa states, aham ādir hi devānām: Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, is the origin of all demigods, including Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva.

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· 2

The purport of SB 4.7.50 quotesBG 10.2

In Bhagavad-gītā (10.2) Lord Kṛṣṇa states, aham ādir hi devānām: Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, is the origin of all demigods, including Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva.

The purport of SB 4.7.50 quotesBG 10.8

In another place in Bhagavad-gītā (10.8) Kṛṣṇa states, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: “Everything is generated from Me.”

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

Humiliation and anger → Reconciliation. Relational offense leads to grief and destruction before restoration.

Chapters 1–7 of Canto 4: Dakṣa, Satī and Śiva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 7: The Sacrifice Performed by Dakṣa

Lord Śiva is pacified, Dakṣa acknowledges his offense, and Lord Viṣṇu accepts the sacrifice.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavānLord Viṣṇu
  2. uvācasaid
  3. ahamI
  4. brahmāBrahmā
  5. caand
  6. śarvaḥLord Śiva
  7. caand
  8. jagataḥof the material manifestation
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.7

    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

How does remembering the Lord as your inner guide affect your sense of dependence on Him?

Practice

Pause before one task and remember that Lord Viṣṇu is the source, maintainer and witness of everything.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayViṣṇu Is the Origin and Inner GuideThis 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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