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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 7 · The Science of God · 15 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 7 · Chapter 1: The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone
7.1.107.1.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.1.11

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 7.1.4-5inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कालं चरन्तं सृजतीश आश्रयं ।

प्रधानपुम्भ्यां नरदेव सत्यकृत् ॥ ११ ॥

kālaṁ carantaṁ sṛjatīśa āśrayaṁ

pradhāna-pumbhyāṁ nara-deva satya-kṛt

Translation

O great King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of the material and spiritual energies, who is certainly the creator of the entire cosmos, creates the time factor to allow the material energy and the living entity to act within the limits of time. Thus the Supreme Personality is never under the time factor nor under the material energy.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Controls Time

  1. 1

    The conditioned soul and material nature act within time, but the Lord creates time. He is never subject to its actions and reactions.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, controls creation, maintenance and annihilation. Even when He appears within this world, He is not limited by material time.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s creation is temporary, but it is not false. Whatever is created by the Supreme Truth is factual.

Key points from the purport
  • One should not think that the Lord is dependent on the time factor.
  • Since Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the controller of everything, when He appears He is not within the limitations of material time (janma karma ca me divyam).
  • Thus this verse establishes that the Lord is not under the limitations of time.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 3

The purport of SB 7.1.11 quotesBG 4.7

In Bhagavad-gītā (4.7) the Lord says: “Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself.”

The purport of SB 7.1.11 quotesBG 7.7

As the Lord confirms in Bhagavad-gītā (7.7), mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: “O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no truth superior to Me.”

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.87.27

And the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.1.11) refers to the Supreme Lord as pradhāna-pumbhyāṁ naradeva satya-kṛt, “the creator of a real universe of matter and living entities.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Pride and rage → Oppression. The ruler's power intensifies his insecurity.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 7: Hiraṇyakaśipu's ascent and intimidation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this chapter, in response to a question by Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Śukadeva Gosvāmī gives his conclusions concerning how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although the Supersoul, friend and protector of everyone, killed the Daityas, the demons, for the sake of Indra, the King of heaven. In his statements, he totally refutes the arguments of people in general who accuse the Supreme Lord of partiality.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kālamtime
  2. carantammoving
  3. sṛjaticreates
  4. īśaḥthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. āśrayamshelter
  6. pradhānafor the material energy
  7. pumbhyāmand the living entity
  8. nara-devaO ruler of men
  9. satyatrue
  10. kṛtcreator
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.1

    In this verse: “material”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 7.1

    In this verse: “king”

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

Do I think of Kṛṣṇa as limited by time in the same way that I am?

Practice

Pause today and reflect on this distinction: I act within time, while Kṛṣṇa creates and controls time.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Controls TimeThis 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 7.1.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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