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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 9: Dhruva Mahārāja Returns Home
4.9.64.9.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.7

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Dhruva Mahārājasince 4.9.6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

एकस्त्वमेव भगवन्निदमात्मशक्त्या

मायाख्ययोरुगुणया महदाद्यशेषम् ।

सृष्ट्वानुविश्य पुरुषस्तदसद्गुणेषु

नानेव दारुषु विभावसुवद्विभासि ॥ ७ ॥

ekas tvam eva bhagavann idam ātma-śaktyā

māyākhyayoru-guṇayā mahad-ādy-aśeṣam

sṛṣṭvānuviśya puruṣas tad-asad-guṇeṣu

nāneva dāruṣu vibhāvasuvad vibhāsi

Translation

My Lord, You are the supreme one, but by Your different energies You appear differently in the spiritual and material worlds. You create the total energy of the material world by Your external potency, and after creation You enter within the material world as the Supersoul. You are the Supreme Person, and through the temporary modes of material nature You create varieties of manifestation, just as fire, entering into wood of different shapes, burns brilliantly in different varieties.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

One Supreme Person, Many Energies

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead acts throughout creation through His different energies. Being all-pervading does not mean that He loses His personal form.

  2. 2

    The Lord enters creation as Paramātmā, the Supersoul, and His spiritual energy enlivens material energy. The material body cannot act independently, just as a machine needs a separate source of energy.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s energy is inseparable from Him and is originally spiritual. It inspires devotees to serve Him, while as external potency it engages nondevotees in activities for sense enjoyment.

Key points from the purport
  • His original, spiritual energy enlivens the material energy, and thus the dead body appears to have life force.
  • It is stated in this verse that the material energy acts in varieties of material bodies, just as fire burns differently in different wood according to the size and quality of the wood.
  • In the case of devotees the same energy is transformed into spiritual energy; this is possible because the energy is originally spiritual, not material.

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

Rejection → Transformed aspiration. A child's wounded pride is purified by divine encounter.

Chapters 8–12 of Canto 4: Dhruva seeks and encounters the Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 9: Dhruva Mahārāja Returns Home

The Lord grants Dhruva’s desire; Dhruva regrets his former hostility and returns to his family.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.9
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ekaḥone
  2. tvamyou
  3. evacertainly
  4. bhagavanO my Lord
  5. idamthis material world
  6. ātma-śaktyāby Your own potency
  7. māyā-ākhyayāof the name māyā
  8. urugreatly powerful
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “devotees”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could remembering the source of your energy change the way you use it?

Practice

Use your voice for one minute to glorify the Lord, consciously directing your energy toward His service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOne Supreme Person, Many EnergiesThis 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 4.9.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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