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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.12.15

Who is speaking and story frame

अग्नौ गुरावात्मनि च सर्वभूतेष्वधोक्षजम् ।

भूतै: स्वधामभि: पश्येदप्रविष्टं प्रविष्टवत् ॥ १५ ॥

agnau gurāv ātmani ca

sarva-bhūteṣv adhokṣajam

bhūtaiḥ sva-dhāmabhiḥ paśyed

apraviṣṭaṁ praviṣṭavat

Translation

One should realize that in the fire, in the spiritual master, in one’s self and in all living entities — in all circumstances and conditions — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, has simultaneously entered and not entered. He is situated externally and internally as the full controller of everything.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Is Present Everywhere

  1. 1

    Perfect realization through Vedic study includes understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s presence everywhere. He is within the universe, every living entity’s heart and even the atom.

  2. 2

    Wherever the Lord is present, His name, form, associates and servants are also present. The living entity is His part and parcel.

  3. 3

    The Lord pervades everything while remaining in His own abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana. His simultaneous entering and not entering everything is inconceivable from a material point of view.

Key points from the purport
  • The living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus one should understand that since the Supreme Lord has entered the atom, the living entities are also there.
  • One must accept the inconceivable quality of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for no one can understand from the material point of view how the Lord is all-pervasive and yet is situated in His own abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana.
  • The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His original form, has not entered everything (apraviṣṭaḥ), but in His impersonal form He has entered (praviṣṭaḥ).

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· 1

The purport of SB 7.12.15 quotesBG 9.4

This is also explained in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4), wherein the Lord says: “By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded.

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

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 12: The Perfect Society: Four Spiritual Classes

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Nor should he cook food with fire, although he is allowed to eat caru, grains that have been offered in a sacrificial fire. He may also eat fruits and grains that have grown naturally.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.12
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. agnauin the fire
  2. gurauin the spiritual master
  3. ātmaniin one’s self
  4. caalso
  5. sarva-bhūteṣuin every living entity
  6. adhokṣajamthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, who cannot be seen or perceived with the material eyes or other material senses
  7. bhūtaiḥwith all living entities
  8. sva-dhāmabhiḥalong with His Lordship’s paraphernalia
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 7.12

    In this verse: “understanding”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.12

    In this verse: “material”

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 would remembering the Lord’s presence in every heart affect my conduct?

Practice

Before one interaction today, pause and remember that the Supreme Lord is present in that person’s heart.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Is Present EverywhereThis 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 7.12.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.