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 19: A Description of the Island of Jambūdvīpa
5.19.35.19.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.19.4

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.19.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यत्तद्विशुद्धानुभवमात्रमेकं

स्वतेजसा ध्वस्तगुणव्यवस्थम् ।

प्रत्यक्प्रशान्तं सुधियोपलम्भनं

ह्यनामरूपं निरहं प्रपद्ये ॥ ४ ॥

yat tad viśuddhānubhava-mātram ekaṁ

sva-tejasā dhvasta-guṇa-vyavastham

pratyak praśāntaṁ sudhiyopalambhanaṁ

hy anāma-rūpaṁ nirahaṁ prapadye

Translation

The Lord, whose pure form [sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha] is uncontaminated by the modes of material nature, can be perceived by pure consciousness. In the Vedānta He is described as being one without a second. Because of His spiritual potency, He is untouched by the contamination of material nature, and because He is not subjected to material vision, He is known as transcendental. He has no material activities, nor has He a material form or name. Only in pure consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can one perceive the transcendental form of the Lord. Let us be firmly fixed at the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra, and let us offer our respectful obeisances unto those transcendental lotus feet.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Love Reveals the Lord’s Spiritual Form

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Lord Rāmacandra is not different from Him. Rāmacandra is unaffected by the modes of material nature.

  2. 2

    The Lord cannot be seen with material eyes; He can be perceived by those saturated with devotional service. Pure consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, reveals His transcendental form.

  3. 3

    Having no material name or form does not mean that the Lord has no personal identity. His identity is transcendental, and His name and He Himself are one and the same.

Key points from the purport
  • Unless one is saturated with love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot appreciate the transcendental value of Lord Rāmacandra; one cannot see Him with material eyes.
  • Therefore in this verse the words pratyak praśāntam indicate that Lord Rāmacandra and His potency, the goddess Sītā, keep themselves aloof from the influence of the material energy.
  • The Paramātmā has no material identity, whereas the jīvātmā does.

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 19: A Description of the Island of Jambūdvīpa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lord Rāmacandra exhibits the actual purpose of an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the devotees take the opportunity to offer loving transcendental service to Him. One should surrender fully to the Lord, forgetting one’s so-called material happiness, opulence and education, which are not at all useful for pleasing the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.19
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatwhich
  2. tatto that supreme truth
  3. viśuddhatranscendentally pure, without contamination by material nature
  4. anubhavaexperience
  5. mātramthat sac-cid-ānanda transcendental body
  6. ekamthe one
  7. sva-tejasāby His own spiritual potency
  8. dhvastavanquished
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.19

    In this verse: “contamination”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.19

    In this verse: “devotional service”

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

Am I approaching the Lord through devotional service rather than judging Him by material appearances?

Practice

Offer a short prayer at Lord Rāmacandra’s lotus feet, asking to become firmly fixed in loving devotional service.

5

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 5.19's connections

Live this todayDevotional Love Reveals the Lord’s Spiritual FormThis 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 5.19.4? 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