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

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.18.15

Who is speaking and story frame

केतुमालेऽपि भगवान् कामदेवस्वरूपेण लक्ष्म्या: प्रियचिकीर्षया प्रजापतेर्दुहितृणां पुत्राणां तद्वर्षपतीनां पुरुषायुषाहोरात्रपरिसङ्ख्यानानां यासां गर्भा महापुरुषमहास्त्रतेजसोद्वेजितमनसां विध्वस्ता व्यसव: संवत्सरान्ते विनिपतन्ति ॥ १५ ॥

ketumāle ’pi bhagavān kāmadeva-svarūpeṇa lakṣmyāḥ priya-cikīrṣayā prajāpater duhitṝṇāṁ putrāṇāṁ tad-varṣa-patīnāṁ puruṣāyuṣāho-rātra-parisaṅkhyānānāṁ yāsāṁ garbhā mahā-puruṣa-mahāstra-tejasodvejita-manasāṁ vidhvastā vyasavaḥ saṁvatsarānte vinipatanti.

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: In the tract of land called Ketumāla-varṣa, Lord Viṣṇu lives in the form of Kāmadeva, only for the satisfaction of His devotees. These include Lakṣmījī [the goddess of fortune], the Prajāpati Saṁvatsara and all of Saṁvatsara’s sons and daughters. The daughters of Prajāpati are considered the controlling deities of the nights, and his sons are considered the controllers of the days. The Prajāpati’s offspring number 36,000, one for each day and each night in the lifetime of a human being. At the end of each year, the Prajāpati’s daughters become very agitated upon seeing the extremely effulgent disc of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus they all suffer miscarriages.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Always Acts Spiritually

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu lives in Ketumāla-varṣa as Kāmadeva for the satisfaction of His devotees, including Lakṣmījī.

  2. 2

    This Kāmadeva, who appears as Kṛṣṇa’s son Pradyumna, is viṣṇu-tattva. Although He accepts a material body in this form, He still acts spiritually.

  3. 3

    The Lord can act spiritually in any condition of existence. Opinions that regard even Kṛṣṇa’s body as material cannot impede His spiritual activity.

Key points from the purport
  • Although this Kāmadeva is viṣṇu-tattva, His body is not spiritual but material.
  • Lord Viṣṇu as Pradyumna or Kāmadeva accepts a material body, but He still acts spiritually.
  • Māyāvādī philosophers regard even Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body as material, but their opinions cannot impede the spiritual activity 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

Smallness → Awe and reverence. A vast cosmos changes the reader's perspective.

Chapters 15–25 of Canto 5: The cosmic regions and divine worship. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 18: The Prayers Offered to the Lord by the Residents of Jambūdvīpa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The goddess of fortune and the demigods living there engage in His service day and night. Manifesting Himself in sixteen parts, Lord Hṛṣīkeśa is the source of all encouragement, strength and influence.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.18
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ketumālein the tract of land known as Ketumāla-varṣa
  2. apialso
  3. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu
  4. kāmadeva-svarūpeṇain the form of Kāmadeva (Cupid or Pradyumna)
  5. lakṣmyāḥof the goddess of fortune
  6. priya-cikīrṣayāwith a desire to bring about the satisfaction
  7. prajāpateḥof Prajāpati
  8. duhitṝṇāmof the daughters
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “material”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this teaching help me avoid judging the Lord by material limitations?

Practice

Reread the purport once, paying attention to the Lord’s freedom to act spiritually in every condition.

Live this todayThe Lord Always Acts SpirituallyThis 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 5.18.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.