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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 5.23.7

Who is speaking and story frame

उत्तराहनावगस्तिरधराहनौ यमो मुखेषु चाङ्गारक: शनैश्चर उपस्थे बृहस्पति: ककुदि वक्षस्यादित्यो हृदये नारायणो मनसि चन्द्रो नाभ्यामुशना स्तनयोरश्विनौ बुध: प्राणापानयो राहुर्गले केतव: सर्वाङ्गेषु रोमसु सर्वे तारागणा: ॥ ७ ॥

uttarā-hanāv agastir adharā-hanau yamo mukheṣu cāṅgārakaḥ śanaiścara upasthe bṛhaspatiḥ kakudi vakṣasy ādityo hṛdaye nārāyaṇo manasi candro nābhyām uśanā stanayor aśvinau budhaḥ prāṇāpānayo rāhur gale ketavaḥ sarvāṅgeṣu romasu sarve tārā-gaṇāḥ.

Translation

On the upper chin of the śiśumāra is Agasti; on its lower chin, Yamarāja; on its mouth, Mars; on its genitals, Saturn; on the back of its neck, Jupiter; on its chest, the sun; and within the core of its heart, Nārāyaṇa. Within its mind is the moon; on its navel, Venus; and on its breasts, the Aśvinī-kumāras. Within its life air, which is known as prāṇāpāna, is Mercury, on its neck is Rāhu, all over its body are comets, and in its pores are the numerous stars.

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.

Nārāyaṇa Within the Śiśumāra’s Heart

  1. 1

    The sun is on the śiśumāra’s chest, and Nārāyaṇa is within the core of its heart. The moon is within its mind.

  2. 2

    Mars is on its mouth, Saturn on its genitals, and Jupiter on the back of its neck. Venus is on its navel, and the Aśvinī-kumāras are on its breasts.

  3. 3

    Mercury is within its life air, called prāṇāpāna, and Rāhu is on its neck. Comets extend over its body, and numerous stars occupy its pores.

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:

The entire body of the śiśumāra faces toward its right and appears like a coil of stars. On the right side of this coil are the fourteen prominent stars from Abhijit to Punarvasu, and on the left side are the fourteen prominent stars from Puṣyā to Uttarāṣāḍhā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.23
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. uttarā-hanauon the upper jaw
  2. agastiḥthe star named Agasti
  3. adharā-hanauon the lower jaw
  4. yamaḥYamarāja
  5. mukheṣuon the mouth
  6. caalso
  7. aṅgārakaḥMars
  8. śanaiścaraḥSaturn
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

Which placement in this description most helps me remember the śiśumāra form?

Practice

Quietly recall the sun on the chest, Nārāyaṇa within the heart and the moon within the mind.

Live this todayNārāyaṇa Within the Śiśumāra’s HeartThis 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 5.23.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.