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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.21.18

Who is speaking and story frame

तथान्ये च ऋषयो गन्धर्वाप्सरसो नागा ग्रामण्यो यातुधाना देवा इत्येकैकशो गणा: सप्त चतुर्दश मासि मासि भगवन्तं सूर्यमात्मानं नानानामानं पृथङ्‌नानानामान: पृथक्‌कर्मभिर्द्वन्द्वश उपासते ॥ १८ ॥

tathānye ca ṛṣayo gandharvāpsaraso nāgā grāmaṇyo yātudhānā devā ity ekaikaśo gaṇāḥ sapta caturdaśa māsi māsi bhagavantaṁ sūryam ātmānaṁ nānā-nāmānaṁ pṛthaṅ-nānā-nāmānaḥ pṛthak-karmabhir dvandvaśa upāsate.

Translation

Similarly, fourteen other saints, Gandharvas, Apsarās, Nāgas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas and demigods, who are divided into groups of two, assume different names every month and continuously perform different ritualistic ceremonies to worship the Supreme Lord as the most powerful demigod Sūryadeva, who holds many names.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Different Associates Cooperate in Worship

  1. 1

    Fourteen associates, divided into groups of two, assume different names each month. They continuously perform ritualistic ceremonies to worship the Supreme Lord as Sūryadeva.

  2. 2

    The Gandharvas sing, the Apsarās dance, and the Niśācaras follow the chariot. The Pannagas decorate it, the Yakṣas guard it, and the Vālikhilyas surround the sun-god and offer prayers.

  3. 3

    These seven groups of fourteen associates arrange the proper times for regular snow, heat and rain throughout the universe.

Key points from the purport
  • Worshiping the most powerful demigod Sūrya, the Gandharvas sing in front of him, the Apsarās dance before the chariot, the Niśācaras follow the chariot, the Pannagas decorate the chariot, the Yakṣas guard the chariot, and the saints called the Vālikhilyas surround the sun-god and offer prayers.
  • The seven groups of fourteen associates arrange the proper times for regular snow, heat and rain throughout 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 21: The Movements of the Sun

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

There are fourteen Gandharvas, Apsarās and other demigods, who are divided into seven parties and who perform ritualistic activities every month to worship the Supersoul through the sun-god according to different names. Thus the sun-god travels through the universe for a distance of 95,100,000 yojanas (760,800,000 miles) at a speed of 16,004 miles at every moment.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.21
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathāsimilarly
  2. anyeothers
  3. caalso
  4. ṛṣayaḥsaintly persons
  5. gandharva-apsarasaḥGandharvas and Apsarās
  6. nāgāḥNāga snakes
  7. grāmaṇyaḥYakṣas
  8. yātudhānāḥRākṣasas
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.21

    In this verse: “worship”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 5.21

    In this verse: “guard”

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 do you notice about the different ways these associates participate in worship?

Practice

List three kinds of service described in the purport and the associates who perform them.

Live this todayDifferent Associates Cooperate in WorshipThis 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 5.21.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.