1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 7 · The Science of God · 15 chapters

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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.12

Who is speaking and story frame

यस्त्वया मन्दभाग्योक्तो मदन्यो जगदीश्वर: ।

क्व‍ासौ यदि स सर्वत्र कस्मात् स्तम्भे न द‍ृश्यते ॥ १२ ॥

yas tvayā manda-bhāgyokto

mad-anyo jagad-īśvaraḥ

kvāsau yadi sa sarvatra

kasmāt stambhe na dṛśyate

Translation

O most unfortunate Prahlāda, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Love Qualifies Us to See the Lord

  1. 1

    The Lord is open to being seen by devotees, but nondevotees cannot see Him. Genuine love for Kṛṣṇa enables a devotee to see Him everywhere.

  2. 2

    Prahlāda Mahārāja saw that the Lord was present in the pillar to protect him. The Lord’s presence encouraged him not to fear his father’s threats.

  3. 3

    Hiraṇyakaśipu measured good fortune by possession of property. He did not understand that Prahlāda was most fortunate because the Supreme Personality of Godhead protected him.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus in all circumstances the devotee can always see the Supreme Lord, whereas the nondevotee cannot.
  • Therefore the demoniac father considered Prahlāda the most unfortunate because Prahlāda would not be able to inherit his property.
  • Hiraṇyakaśipu did not know that Prahlāda Mahārāja was the most fortunate person within the three worlds because Prahlāda was protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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 7.8.12 quotesBG 7.25

But what the demon does not know is stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (7.25): nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ.

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

Terror and divine fury → Protection and compassion. The crisis resolves through relationship rather than domination.

Chapters 8–10 of Canto 7: Nṛsiṁhadeva appears; Prahlāda pacifies Him. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Hiraṇyakaśipu, as a typical demon, began to advertise himself as being greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Prahlāda Mahārāja challenged him, saying that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not God, and began to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declaring that the Lord is all-pervading, that everything is under Him, and that no one is equal to or greater than Him. Thus he requested his father to be submissive to the omnipotent Supreme Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yaḥthe one who
  2. tvayāby you
  3. manda-bhāgyaO unfortunate one
  4. uktaḥdescribed
  5. mat-anyaḥbesides me
  6. jagat-īśvaraḥthe supreme controller of the universe
  7. kvawhere
  8. asauthat one
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “fear”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “protect”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I measure good fortune by possessions or by my relationship with the Lord?

Practice

Take one minute today to pray for genuine love for Kṛṣṇa rather than material good fortune.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayLove Qualifies Us to See the LordThis 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 7.8.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.