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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 5.22.10

Who is speaking and story frame

य एष षोडशकल: पुरुषो भगवान्मनोमयोऽन्नमयोऽमृतमयो देवपितृमनुष्यभूतपशुपक्षिसरीसृपवीरुधां प्राणाप्यायनशीलत्वात्सर्वमय इति वर्णयन्ति ॥ १० ॥

ya eṣa ṣoḍaśa-kalaḥ puruṣo bhagavān manomayo ’nnamayo ’mṛtamayo deva-pitṛ-manuṣya-bhūta-paśu-pakṣi-sarīsṛpa-vīrudhāṁ prāṇāpy āyana-śīlatvāt sarvamaya iti varṇayanti.

Translation

Because the moon is full of all potentialities, it represents the influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The moon is the predominating deity of everyone’s mind, and therefore the moon-god is called Manomaya. He is also called Annamaya because he gives potency to all herbs and plants, and he is called Amṛtamaya because he is the source of life for all living entities. The moon pleases the demigods, pitās, human beings, animals, birds, reptiles, trees, plants and all other living entities. Everyone is satisfied by the presence of the moon. Therefore the moon is also called Sarvamaya [all-pervading].

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 Moon Represents the Supreme Lord’s Influence

  1. 1

    Full of all potentialities, the moon represents the influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the predominating deity of everyone’s mind, the moon-god is called Manomaya.

  2. 2

    He is called Annamaya because he gives potency to herbs and plants, and Amṛtamaya because he is the source of life for all living entities.

  3. 3

    The moon pleases demigods, pitās, human beings, animals, plants, and all other living entities. Because everyone is satisfied by its presence, it is also called Sarvamaya, or all-pervading.

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 22: The Orbits of the Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The demigod Sūrya is always in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. Residing in outer space, which is in the middle of the universe, between Bhūloka and Bhuvarloka, the sun rotates through the time circle of the zodiac, represented by twelve rāśis, or signs, and assumes different names according to the sign he is in.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yaḥthat
  2. eṣaḥthis
  3. ṣoḍaśa-kalaḥhaving all sixteen parts (the full moon)
  4. puruṣaḥthe person
  5. bhagavānhaving great power received from the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  6. manaḥ-mayaḥthe predominating deity of the mind
  7. anna-mayaḥthe source of potency for food grains
  8. amṛta-mayaḥthe source of the substance of life
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

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

How can the moon’s nourishing presence remind me of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s influence?

Practice

Look at a plant today and remember the moon’s nourishing potency as an expression of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s influence.

Live this todayThe Moon Represents the Supreme Lord’s InfluenceThis 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 5.22.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.