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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 9: Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers
7.9.307.9.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.9.31

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Prahlāda Mahārājasince 7.9.9inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

त्वं वा इदं सदसदीश भवांस्ततोऽन्यो

माया यदात्मपरबुद्धिरियं ह्यपार्था ।

यद्यस्य जन्म निधनं स्थितिरीक्षणं च

तद्वैतदेव वसुकालवदष्टितर्वो: ॥ ३१ ॥

tvaṁ vā idaṁ sadasad īśa bhavāṁs tato ’nyo

māyā yad ātma-para-buddhir iyaṁ hy apārthā

yad yasya janma nidhanaṁ sthitir īkṣaṇaṁ ca

tad vaitad eva vasukālavad aṣṭi-tarvoḥ

Translation

My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, the entire cosmic creation is caused by You, and the cosmic manifestation is an effect of Your energy. Although the entire cosmos is but You alone, You keep Yourself aloof from it. The conception of “mine and yours,” is certainly a type of illusion [māyā] because everything is an emanation from You and is therefore not different from You. Indeed, the cosmic manifestation is nondifferent from You, and the annihilation is also caused by You. This relationship between Your Lordship and the cosmos is illustrated by the example of the seed and the tree, or the subtle cause and the gross manifestation.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Everything Comes From the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller and the cause of all causes. Everything comes from Him, yet He remains separate from everything.

  2. 2

    The Lord and His energies are simultaneously one and different: acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. Like a seed becoming a tree with branches, leaves, flowers and fruits, His energy displays many varieties.

  3. 3

    The Lord is eternal and remains unchanged through time. An advanced devotee stays in Kṛṣṇa consciousness through happiness and distress, accepting even distress as His blessing.

Key points from the purport
  • The time factor is the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the Lord is separate from the time factor.
  • Because the Lord is the supreme cause, everything is one with Him, but when we consider varieties, we find that one thing is different from another.
  • The time factor is under the control of the Supreme Lord, and therefore the Supreme Lord is different from 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· 2

The purport of SB 7.9.31 quotesBG 7.10

In Bhagavad-gītā (7.10) the Lord says: “O son of Pṛthā, know that I am the original seed of all existences.”

The purport of SB 7.9.31 quotesSB 10.14.8

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.8): When a devotee is in a condition of so-called distress, he considers it a gift or blessing from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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 9: Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Although the entire cosmic manifestation is nondifferent, the material world is nonetheless different from the spiritual world. Only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord can one understand how the wonderful material nature acts.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.9
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamYou
  2. vāeither
  3. idamthe whole universe
  4. sat-asatconsisting of cause and effect (You are the cause, and Your energy is the effect)
  5. īśaO my Lord, the supreme controller
  6. bhavānYourself
  7. tataḥfrom the universe
  8. anyaḥseparately situated (the creation is made by the Lord, yet He remains separate from the creation)
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “illusion”, “māyā”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “distress”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could remembering the Lord help you remain steady in both happiness and distress?

Practice

When a difficulty arises today, pause and try to receive it as an opportunity to remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

7

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 10.14.8

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 7.9's connections

Live this todayEverything Comes From the Supreme 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 7.9.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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