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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 5.22.17

Who is speaking and story frame

तत उत्तरस्माद‍ृषय एकादशलक्षयोजनान्तर उपलभ्यन्ते य एव लोकानां शमनुभावयन्तो भगवतो विष्णोर्यत्परमं पदं प्रदक्षिणं प्रक्रमन्ति ॥ १७ ॥

tata uttarasmād ṛṣaya ekādaśa-lakṣa-yojanāntara upalabhyante ya eva lokānāṁ śam anubhāvayanto bhagavato viṣṇor yat paramaṁ padaṁ pradakṣiṇaṁ prakramanti.

Translation

Situated 8,800,000 miles above Saturn, or 20,800,000 miles above earth, are the seven saintly sages, who are always thinking of the well-being of the inhabitants of the universe. They circumambulate the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu, known as Dhruvaloka, the polestar.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Saintly Concern Under Lord Viṣṇu’s Shelter

  1. 1

    The seven saintly sages are always thinking of the well-being of the inhabitants of the universe. They circumambulate Dhruvaloka, the polestar, the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu.

  2. 2

    The purport describes Lord Viṣṇu as the source of knowledge and transcendental bliss. He has assumed the form of Śiśumāra in the seventh heaven, at the topmost level of the universe.

  3. 3

    All the other planets, beginning with the sun, exist under the shelter of this Śiśumāra planetary system.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Madhvācārya quotes the following verse from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa:
  • All the other planets, beginning with the sun, exist under the shelter of this Śiśumāra planetary system.”
  • Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Twenty-second Chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Orbits of the Planets.”

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 22: The Orbits of the Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Above Bṛhaspati-graha is the planet Śanaiścara (Saturn), which is very inauspicious, and above Saturn is a group of seven stars occupied by great saintly persons who are always thinking of the welfare of the entire universe. These seven stars circumambulate Dhruvaloka, which is the residence of Lord Viṣṇu within this universe.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.22
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tataḥthe planet Saturn
  2. uttarasmātabove
  3. ṛṣayaḥgreat saintly sages
  4. ekādaśa-lakṣa-yojana-antareat a distance of 1,100,000 yojanas
  5. upalabhyanteare situated
  6. yeall of them
  7. evaindeed
  8. lokānāmfor all the inhabitants of the universe
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.22

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 5.22

    In this verse: “shelter”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might the sages’ concern for others shape your own devotional outlook?

Practice

Take a quiet moment to wish others well while remembering Lord Viṣṇu and the shelter described in this verse.

Live this todaySaintly Concern Under Lord Viṣṇu’s ShelterThis 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 5.22.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.