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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
5.18.375.18.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.18.38

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

करोति विश्वस्थितिसंयमोदयं

यस्येप्सितं नेप्सितमीक्षितुर्गुणै: ।

माया यथायो भ्रमते तदाश्रयं

ग्राव्णो नमस्ते गुणकर्मसाक्षिणे ॥ ३८ ॥

karoti viśva-sthiti-saṁyamodayaṁ

yasyepsitaṁ nepsitam īkṣitur guṇaiḥ

māyā yathāyo bhramate tad-āśrayaṁ

grāvṇo namas te guṇa-karma-sākṣiṇe

Translation

O Lord, You do not desire the creation, maintenance or annihilation of this material world, but You perform these activities for the conditioned souls by Your creative energy. Exactly as a piece of iron moves under the influence of a lodestone, inert matter moves when You glance over the total material energy.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Original Cause

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord does not create the material world to inflict suffering. He creates it because the conditioned souls want to enjoy it.

  2. 2

    Material nature does not work independently. Just as a lodestone moves iron, the Lord’s glance sets inert material energy into motion.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original cause of the cosmic manifestation. Material nature becomes a secondary cause only through His energy.

Key points from the purport
  • Sometimes the question arises why the Supreme Lord has created this material world, which is so full of suffering for the living entities entrapped in it.
  • It is only because the Lord glances over the material energy that it acts in wonderful ways, just as a lodestone causes a piece of iron to move here and there.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa shows His mercy by infusing His energy into the dull, inert material nature.

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 5.18.38 quotesCC Ādi 6.18

In Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 6.18-19) the creation of the material world is explained as follows: “Atheistic Sāṅkhya philosophers think that the total material energy causes the cosmic manifestation, but they are wrong.

The purport of SB 5.18.38 quotesCC Ādi 5.59

This is also further explained in Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 5.59-61): “Because prakṛti [material nature] is dull and inert, it cannot actually be the cause of the material world.

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:

Lacking attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he remains attached to family life in this material world. Thus the lesson of this chapter is that one should get out of family life and completely take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.
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. karotiperforming
  2. viśvaof the universe
  3. sthitithe maintenance
  4. saṁyamawinding up
  5. udayamcreation
  6. yasyaof whom
  7. īpsitamdesired
  8. nanot
3

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 5.18

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “suffering”

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 knowing that material nature depends on Kṛṣṇa change the way you see the world?

Practice

Today, pause while observing something moving in nature and remember that material nature acts through the Lord’s energy.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Original CauseThis 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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