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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 7.3.31

Who is speaking and story frame

त्वमेव कालोऽनिमिषो जनाना-

मायुर्लवाद्यवयवै: क्षिणोषि ।

कूटस्थ आत्मा परमेष्ठ्यजो महां-

स्त्वं जीवलोकस्य च जीव आत्मा ॥ ३१ ॥

tvam eva kālo ’nimiṣo janānām

āyur lavādy-avayavaiḥ kṣiṇoṣi

kūṭa-stha ātmā parameṣṭhy ajo mahāṁs

tvaṁ jīva-lokasya ca jīva ātmā

Translation

O my lord, Your Lordship is eternally awake, seeing everything that happens. As eternal time, you reduce the duration of life for all living entities through your different parts, such as moments, seconds, minutes and hours. Nonetheless, you are unchanged, resting in one place as the Supersoul, witness and Supreme Lord, the birthless, all-pervading controller who is the cause of life for all living entities.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

One Unchanging Lord in Every Heart

  1. 1

    Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated everywhere, He remains the central unchanging point. He is fully present in the heart of every living entity.

  2. 2

    The Lord has many forms, yet He is one and unchanging. As the Supersoul, He inspires living entities to act amid many different subjects, objects, and activities.

  3. 3

    Living entities are parts and parcels of the Lord, one with Him in quality yet different from Him. Meanwhile, time steadily reduces their duration of life.

Key points from the purport
  • As indicated in the Upaniṣads by the word ekatvam, although there are millions and millions of living entities, the Lord is situated as the Supersoul in every one of them.
  • The living entities are described as parts and parcels of the Lord because He is the life and soul of all living entities, being situated within their hearts as the antaryāmī, as enunciated by the philosophy of inconceivable oneness and difference (acintya-bhedābheda).
  • Since the living entities are part of God, they are one in quality with the Lord, yet they are different from Him.

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

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 3: Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Plan to Become Immortal

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When Lord Brahmā agreed to give him benedictions, he prayed not be killed by any living entity, not to be killed in any place, covered or uncovered, not to die in the daytime or at night, not to be killed by any weapon, on land or in the air, and not to be killed by any human being, animal, demigod or any other entity, living or nonliving.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.3
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamyou
  2. evaindeed
  3. kālaḥunlimited time
  4. animiṣaḥunblinking
  5. janānāmof all living entities
  6. āyuḥthe duration of life
  7. lava-ādiconsisting of seconds, moments, minutes and hours
  8. avayavaiḥby different parts
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could remembering the Lord’s presence in every heart change the way I regard others?

Practice

When meeting someone today, silently remember that the same unchanging Supersoul is present in both your hearts.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOne Unchanging Lord in Every 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 7.3.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.