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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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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 5.20.3-4

Who is speaking and story frame

शिवं यवसं सुभद्रं शान्तं क्षेमममृतमभयमिति वर्षाणि तेषु गिरयो नद्यश्च सप्तैवाभिज्ञाता: ॥ ३ ॥ मणिकूटो वज्रकूट इन्द्रसेनो ज्योतिष्मान् सुपर्णो हिरण्यष्ठीवो मेघमाल इति सेतुशैला: । अरुणा नृम्णाऽऽङ्गिरसी सावित्री सुप्तभाता ऋतम्भरा सत्यम्भरा इति महानद्य: । यासां जलोपस्पर्शनविधूतरजस्तमसो हंसपतङ्गोर्ध्वायनसत्याङ्गसंज्ञाश्चत्वारो वर्णा: सहस्रायुषो विबुधोपमसन्दर्शनप्रजनना: स्वर्गद्वारं त्रय्या विद्यया भगवन्तं त्रयीमयं सूर्यमात्मानं यजन्ते ॥ ४ ॥

śivaṁ yavasaṁ subhadraṁ śāntaṁ kṣemam amṛtam abhayam iti varṣāṇi teṣu girayo nadyaś ca saptaivābhijñātāḥ; maṇikūṭo vajrakūṭa indraseno jyotiṣmān suparṇo hiraṇyaṣṭhīvo meghamāla iti setu-śailāḥ aruṇā nṛmṇāṅgirasī sāvitrī suptabhātā ṛtambharā satyambharā iti mahā-nadyaḥ; yāsāṁ jalopasparśana-vidhūta-rajas-tamaso haṁsa-pataṅgordhvāyana-satyāṅga-saṁjñāś catvāro varṇāḥ sahasrāyuṣo vibudhopama-sandarśana-prajananāḥ svarga-dvāraṁ trayyā vidyayā bhagavantaṁ trayīmayaṁ sūryam ātmānaṁ yajante.

Translation

The seven islands [varṣas] are named according to the names of those seven sons — Śiva, Yavasa, Subhadra, Śānta, Kṣema, Amṛta and Abhaya. In those seven tracts of land, there are seven mountains and seven rivers. The mountains are named Maṇikūṭa, Vajrakūṭa, Indrasena, Jyotiṣmān, Suparṇa, Hiraṇyaṣṭhīva and Meghamāla, and the rivers are named Aruṇā, Nṛmṇā, Āṅgirasī, Sāvitrī, Suptabhātā, Ṛtambharā and Satyambharā. One can immediately be free from material contamination by touching or bathing in those rivers, and the four castes of people who live in Plakṣadvīpa — the Haṁsas, Pataṅgas, Ūrdhvāyanas and Satyāṅgas — purify themselves in that way. The inhabitants of Plakṣadvīpa live for one thousand years. They are beautiful like the demigods, and they also beget children like the demigods. By completely performing the ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas and by worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead as represented by the sun-god, they attain the sun, which is a heavenly planet.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is Master; Demigods Are Servants

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu maintains the entire creation and supplies the necessities of all living entities. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not an equal of Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva.

  2. 2

    The demigods act on Lord Viṣṇu’s behalf and must work under His orders. Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Lord Viṣṇu, is the only master, and all others are His servants.

  3. 3

    Worship without understanding the demigods’ relationship with the Supreme Lord is irregular. Demigod worshipers reach the demigods’ planets, whereas worshipers of Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu reach the planets in Vaikuṇṭha.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore it should be concluded that Lord Viṣṇu, not Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • The distinction between Lord Viṣṇu and the demigods is also expressed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.25).
  • The supremacy of the demigods is dependent on the mercy of Lord Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa).

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· 3

The purport of SB 5.20.3-4 quotesBG 9.23

Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā (9.23): “Devotees who worship the demigods with firm faith worship Me also, but not according to regulative principles.”

The purport of SB 5.20.3-4 quotesBG 9.24

Kṛṣṇa also says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.24), ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca: “I am the only enjoyer of ritualistic ceremonies.”

The purport of SB 5.20.3-4 quotesBG 9.25

The distinction between Lord Viṣṇu and the demigods is also expressed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.25).

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 20: Studying the Structure of the Universe

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this chapter there is a description of various islands, beginning with Plakṣadvīpa, and the oceans that surround them. There is also a description of the location and dimensions of the mountain known as Lokāloka.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.20
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śivamŚiva
  2. yavasamYavasa
  3. subhadramSubhadra
  4. śāntamŚānta
  5. kṣemamKṣema
  6. amṛtamAmṛta
  7. abhayamAbhaya
  8. itithus
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.20

    In this verse: “purify”, “contamination”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.20

    In this verse: “worshiping”, “worship”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.20

    In this verse: “material”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Does my understanding of worship keep Kṛṣṇa in His position as the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Offer a short prayer to Kṛṣṇa, acknowledging Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and yourself as His servant.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Master; Demigods Are ServantsThis 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 5.20.3-4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.