1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526

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 5 · Chapter 1: The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata
5.1.65.1.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.1.7

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.1.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अथ ह भगवानादिदेव एतस्य गुणविसर्गस्य परिबृंहणानुध्यानव्यवसित सकलजगदभिप्राय

आत्मयोनिरखिलनिगमनिजगणपरिवेष्टित: स्वभवनादवततार ॥ ७ ॥

atha ha bhagavān ādi-deva etasya guṇa-visargasya paribṛṁhaṇānudhyāna-vyavasita-sakala-jagad-abhiprāya ātma-yonir akhila-nigama-nija-gaṇa-pariveṣṭitaḥ sva-bhavanād avatatāra.

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: The first created being and most powerful demigod in this universe is Lord Brahmā, who is always responsible for developing universal affairs. Born directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he dedicates his activities to the welfare of the entire universe, for he knows the purpose of the universal creation. This supremely powerful Lord Brahmā, accompanied by his associates and the personified Vedas, left his own abode in the highest planetary system and descended to the place of Prince Priyavrata’s meditation.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vedic Guidance Leads Back to Godhead

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu, or Lord Kṛṣṇa, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the source of everything. Brahmā is the secondary creator and carries out the Supreme Lord’s purpose.

  2. 2

    Brahmā spreads Vedic knowledge for the guidance and welfare of conditioned souls. Nivṛtti-mārga rejects sense enjoyment, while pravṛtti-mārga allows enjoyment under guidance that leads back to Godhead.

  3. 3

    Brahmā came with great sages and the personified Vedas to ask Priyavrata to rule. He wanted Priyavrata to follow the Vedic injunctions and accept responsibility for the world.

Key points from the purport
  • Sometimes great personalities — such as demigods like Lord Brahmā, Nārada or Lord Śiva — are also addressed as bhagavān because they carry out the purpose of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Lord Brahmā is called bhagavān because he is the secondary creator of this universe.
  • The abode of Lord Brahmā is Satyaloka, but because Lord Brahmā resides there, it is also sometimes called Brahmaloka.

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

Responsibility → Renunciation. Leadership is set beside the renounced ideal.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 5: Priyavrata and Ṛṣabhadeva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Everything is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, and everyone must work accordingly. Just as a bull is controlled by a rope tied to its nose, so all conditioned souls are forced to work under the spells of the modes of nature.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athathus
  2. haindeed
  3. bhagavānthe most powerful
  4. ādi-devaḥthe first demigod
  5. etasyaof this universe
  6. guṇa-visargasyathe creation of the three modes of material nature
  7. paribṛṁhaṇathe welfare
  8. anudhyānaalways thinking of
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 5.1

    In this verse: “welfare”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.1

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 can I see my responsibilities as opportunities to serve the Supreme Lord’s purpose?

Practice

Read the passage about the two paths of Vedic guidance again, and write down their shared direction: back to Godhead.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.1's connections

Live this todayVedic Guidance Leads Back to GodheadThis 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 5.1.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories