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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.
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Canto 5 · Chapter 19: A Description of the Island of Jambūdvīpa
5.19.105.19.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.19.11

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.19.9inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ॐ नमो भगवते उपशमशीलायोपरतानात्म्याय नमोऽकिञ्चनवित्ताय ऋषिऋषभाय नरनारायणाय परमहंसपरमगुरवे आत्मारामाधिपतये नमो नम इति ॥ ११ ॥

oṁ namo bhagavate upaśama-śīlāyoparatānātmyāya namo ’kiñcana-vittāya ṛṣi-ṛṣabhāya nara-nārāyaṇāya paramahaṁsa-parama-gurave ātmārāmādhipataye namo nama iti.

Translation

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Nara-Nārāyaṇa, the best of all saintly persons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the most self-controlled and self-realized, He is free from false prestige, and He is the asset of persons who have no material possessions. He is the spiritual master of all paramahaṁsas, who are the most exalted human beings, and He is the master of the self-realized. Let me offer my repeated obeisances at His lotus feet.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Is the Devotee’s True Asset

  1. 1

    Nara-Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the best of all saintly persons. He is fully self-controlled, self-realized and free from false prestige.

  2. 2

    The Lord is the asset of persons who have no material possessions. This prayer honors Him rather than material wealth.

  3. 3

    He is the spiritual master of the most exalted human beings and the master of the self-realized. The prayer offers repeated respectful obeisances at His lotus feet.

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 19: A Description of the Island of Jambūdvīpa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Sārvaṇi Manu and the inhabitants of Bhārata-varṣa engage in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the origin of creation, maintenance and annihilation and who is always worshiped by self-realized souls.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.19
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. omO Supreme Lord
  2. namaḥmy respectful obeisances
  3. bhagavateunto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. upaśama-śīlāyawho has mastered the senses
  5. uparata-anātmyāyahaving no attachment for this material world
  6. namaḥmy respectful obeisances
  7. akiñcana-vittāyaunto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the only asset of persons who have no material possessions
  8. ṛṣi-ṛṣabhāyathe most exalted of saintly persons
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.19

    In this verse: “material”, “wealth”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 5.19

    In this verse: “free from”

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 value the Lord as my true asset?

Practice

Offer respectful obeisances to Nara-Nārāyaṇa today, remembering one of the qualities praised in this prayer.

Live this todayThe Lord Is the Devotee’s True AssetThis 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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