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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 ›
Canto 5 · Chapter 18: The Prayers Offered to the Lord by the Residents of Jambūdvīpa
5.18.355.18.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.18.36

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.18.34inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यस्य स्वरूपं कवयो विपश्चितो

गुणेषु दारुष्विव जातवेदसम् ।

मथ्नन्ति मथ्ना मनसा दिद‍ृक्षवो

गूढं क्रियार्थैर्नम ईरितात्मने ॥ ३६ ॥

yasya svarūpaṁ kavayo vipaścito

guṇeṣu dāruṣv iva jāta-vedasam

mathnanti mathnā manasā didṛkṣavo

gūḍhaṁ kriyārthair nama īritātmane

Translation

By manipulating a fire-generating stick, great saints and sages can bring forth the fire lying dormant within wood. In the same way, O Lord, those expert in understanding the Absolute Truth try to see You in everything — even in their own bodies. Yet you remain concealed. You are not to be understood by indirect processes involving mental or physical activities. Because You are self-manifested, only when You see that a person is wholeheartedly engaged in searching for You do You reveal Yourself. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Reveals Himself to Sincere Seekers

  1. 1

    Like fire hidden within wood, the Lord remains concealed. Mental or physical activities alone cannot reveal Him; He reveals Himself to one who wholeheartedly searches for Him.

  2. 2

    One who truly has knowledge surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Perfect knowledge means understanding that the Lord is in everyone’s heart and seeing Him present everywhere.

  3. 3

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is understood through chanting Vedic mantras. He witnesses all activities and is the living force, yet remains beyond material qualities.

Key points from the purport
  • When one understands that the Lord is situated in everyone’s heart and actually sees the Lord present everywhere, he has perfect knowledge.
  • The word jāta-vedaḥ means “fire which is produced by rubbing wood.”
  • In Vedic times, learned sages could bring forth fire from wood.

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· 1

The purport of SB 5.18.36 quotesBG 7.19

As Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (7.19), bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate: “After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto 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

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:

If after studying all the Vedic literature, one does not awaken his dormant love for the Supreme Lord, it is to be understood that he has labored for nothing. He has simply wasted his time.
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. yasyawhose
  2. sva-rūpamform
  3. kavayaḥthe greatly learned sages
  4. vipaścitaḥexpert in ascertaining the Absolute Truth
  5. guṇeṣuin the material manifestation, consisting of the three modes of nature
  6. dāruṣuin wood
  7. ivalike
  8. jātamanifested
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “absolute truth”, “understanding”, “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “chanting”

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

What would it mean for me to search for the Lord wholeheartedly?

Practice

Take one quiet minute to pray sincerely for the Lord’s guidance in surrendering to Him.

Live this todayThe Lord Reveals Himself to Sincere SeekersThis 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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