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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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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 20: Studying the Structure of the Universe
5.20.455.21.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.20.46

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.20.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

देवतिर्यङ्‍मनुष्याणां सरीसृपसवीरुधाम् ।

सर्वजीवनिकायानां सूर्य आत्मा

द‍ृगीश्वर: ॥ ४६ ॥

deva-tiryaṅ-manuṣyāṇāṁ

sarīsṛpa-savīrudhām

sarva-jīva-nikāyānāṁ

sūrya ātmā dṛg-īśvaraḥ

Translation

All living entities, including demigods, human beings, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, creepers and trees, depend upon the heat and light given by the sun-god from the sun planet. Furthermore, it is because of the sun’s presence that all living entities can see, and therefore he is called dṛg-īśvara, the Personality of Godhead presiding over sight.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Sun Sustains Life and Sight

  1. 1

    All living entities depend upon the sun’s heat and light, and its presence enables them to see. The sun-god is therefore called dṛg-īśvara, the Personality of Godhead presiding over sight.

  2. 2

    The purport describes the sun as the life and soul of this universe, worshiped through the Gāyatrī mantra. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the life and soul of the entire creation, which contains innumerable universes.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa first instructed Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god, so the purport explains that the sun is not vacant. Its predominating deity is Vairāja, or Vivasvān, and its inhabitants have bodies suitable for that fiery planet.

Key points from the purport
  • The actual life and soul of all living entities within this universe is the sun.
  • Sūrya is the life and soul of this universe, and there are innumerable universes for which a sun-god is the life and soul, just as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the life and soul of the entire creation.
  • Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Twentieth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Studying the Structure of the Universe.”

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 20: Studying the Structure of the Universe

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The distance between the sun and the circumference of Aṇḍa-golaka, the globe of the universe, is estimated to be twenty-five koṭi yojanas (two billion miles). Because the sun enters the universe and divides the sky, it is known as Mārtaṇḍa, and because it is produced from Hiraṇyagarbha, the body of the mahat-tattva, it is also called Hiraṇyagarbha.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.20
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. devaof the demigods
  2. tiryakthe lower animals
  3. manuṣyāṇāmand the human beings
  4. sarīsṛpathe insects and the serpents
  5. sa-vīrudhāmand the plants and trees
  6. sarva-jīva-nikāyānāmof all groups of living entities
  7. sūryaḥthe sun-god
  8. ātmāthe life and soul
  9. dṛkof the eyes
  10. īśvaraḥthe Personality of Godhead
3

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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshiped”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can recognizing my dependence on sunlight deepen my appreciation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the life and soul of creation?

Practice

Notice one plant and one animal sustained by sunlight, and pause to appreciate the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the life and soul of the entire creation.

Live this todayThe Sun Sustains Life and SightThis 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 5.20.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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