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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 8: Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons
7.8.317.8.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.32

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Hiraṇyakaśipusince 7.8.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

सटावधूता जलदा: परापतन्

ग्रहाश्च तद् द‍ृष्टिविमुष्टरोचिष: ।

अम्भोधय: श्वासहता विचुक्षुभु-

र्निर्ह्रादभीता दिगिभा विचुक्रुशु: ॥ ३२ ॥

saṭāvadhūtā jaladāḥ parāpatan

grahāś ca tad-dṛṣṭi-vimuṣṭa-rociṣaḥ

ambhodhayaḥ śvāsa-hatā vicukṣubhur

nirhrāda-bhītā digibhā vicukruśuḥ

Translation

The hair on Nṛsiṁhadeva’s head shook the clouds and scattered them here and there, His glaring eyes stole the effulgence of the luminaries in the sky, and His breathing agitated the seas and oceans. Because of His roaring, all the elephants in the world began to cry in fear.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

All Splendor Is the Lord’s Spark

  1. 1

    All beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from only a spark of the Lord’s splendor.

  2. 2

    The light of planets and stars and the extraordinary qualities of living beings are partial manifestations of His brilliance.

  3. 3

    Even the mighty oceans and other wonders of creation become insignificant before the Lord’s personal, all-defeating transcendental qualities.

Key points from the purport
  • The illumination of the planets and stars in the sky is but a partial manifestation of the Lord’s effulgence.
  • The deep waves of the seas and oceans and the many other wonders within the creation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead all become insignificant when the Lord, in His special feature, incarnates within this material world.
  • Everything is insignificant in comparison to His personal, all-defeating transcendental qualities.

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 7.8.32 quotesBG 10.41

As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.41): “Know that all beautiful, glorious and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.”

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:

The more Prahlāda Mahārāja glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the more angry and agitated the demon became. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his Vaiṣṇava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, and Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saṭāby the hair on Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s head
  2. avadhūtāḥshaken
  3. jaladāḥthe clouds
  4. parāpatanscattered
  5. grahāḥthe luminous planets
  6. caand
  7. tat-dṛṣṭiby His glaring glance
  8. vimuṣṭataken away
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “fear”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which wonder of creation helps me appreciate a small part of the Lord’s splendor?

Practice

Notice one beautiful or mighty feature of creation today and remember that its splendor is only a spark of the Lord’s.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAll Splendor Is the Lord’s SparkThis 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.

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