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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 ›
Canto 5 · Chapter 23: The Śiśumāra Planetary Systems
5.23.15.23.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.23.2

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.23.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

स हि सर्वेषां ज्योतिर्गणानां ग्रहनक्षत्रादीनामनिमिषेणाव्यक्तरंहसा भगवता कालेन भ्राम्यमाणानां स्थाणुरिवावष्टम्भ ईश्वरेण विहित: शश्वदवभासते ॥ २ ॥

sa hi sarveṣāṁ jyotir-gaṇānāṁ graha-nakṣatrādīnām animiṣeṇāvyakta-raṁhasā bhagavatā kālena bhrāmyamāṇānāṁ sthāṇur ivāvaṣṭambha īśvareṇa vihitaḥ śaśvad avabhāsate.

Translation

Established by the supreme will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the polestar, which is the planet of Mahārāja Dhruva, constantly shines as the central pivot for all the stars and planets. The unsleeping, invisible, most powerful time factor causes these luminaries to revolve around the polestar without cessation.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Gives Honor to His Devotee

  1. 1

    The polestar is established by the supreme will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It shines as the central pivot for the stars and planets.

  2. 2

    The time factor is another feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All the luminaries revolve under its influence.

  3. 3

    Everything happens according to the Lord’s will and direction. Out of love for Dhruva, He has arranged for the time factor to work under him or with his cooperation.

Key points from the purport
  • It is distinctly stated herein that all the luminaries, the planets and stars, revolve by the influence of the supreme time factor.
  • Everyone is under the influence of the time factor, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so kind and loves His devotee Mahārāja Dhruva so much that He has placed all the luminaries under the control of Dhruva’s planet and has arranged for the time factor to work under him or with his cooperation.
  • Everything is actually done according to the will and direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but to make His devotee Dhruva the most important individual within the universe, the Lord has placed the activities of the time factor under his control.

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 23: The Śiśumāra Planetary Systems

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Like bulls yoked to a central pivot, all the planetary systems revolve around Dhruvaloka, impelled by eternal time. Those who worship the virāṭ-puruṣa, the universal form of the Lord, conceive of this entire rotating system of planets as an animal known as śiśumāra.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.23
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥthat planet of Dhruva Mahārāja
  2. hiindeed
  3. sarveṣāmof all
  4. jyotiḥ-gaṇānāmthe luminaries
  5. graha-nakṣatra-ādīnāmsuch as the planets and stars
  6. animiṣeṇawho does not rest
  7. avyaktainconceivable
  8. raṁhasāwhose force
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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

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 5.23

    In this verse: “love”

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 does the Lord’s kindness toward Dhruva deepen my appreciation of His love for His devotees?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute reflecting on the Lord’s kindness to Dhruva.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.23's connections

Live this todayThe Lord Gives Honor to His DevoteeThis 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 5.23.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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