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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 24: The Subterranean Heavenly Planets
5.24.105.24.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.24.11

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.24.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यत्र ह वाव न भयमहोरात्रादिभि: कालविभागैरुपलक्ष्यते ॥ ११ ॥

yatra ha vāva na bhayam aho-rātrādibhiḥ kāla-vibhāgair upalakṣyate.

Translation

Since there is no sunshine in those subterranean planets, time is not divided into days and nights, and consequently fear produced by time does not exist.

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.

Life Without Days and Nights

  1. 1

    There is no sunshine in the subterranean planets described here.

  2. 2

    Time there is not divided into days and nights.

  3. 3

    Consequently, the residents do not experience the fear produced by these divisions of time.

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 24: The Subterranean Heavenly Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The sunshine does not reach these planets, but they are illuminated by jewels fixed upon the hoods of snakes. Because of these shining gems there is practically no darkness.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.24
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatrawhere
  2. ha vāvacertainly
  3. nanot
  4. bhayamfearfulness
  5. ahaḥ-rātra-ādibhiḥbecause of days and nights
  6. kāla-vibhāgaiḥthe divisions of time
  7. upalakṣyateis experienced
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 5.24

    In this verse: “fear”

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 passing of days and nights affect your sense of fear?

Practice

Read the verse slowly and note its connection between sunshine, divisions of time, and fear.

Live this todayLife Without Days and NightsThis 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 5.24.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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