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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 7.9.32

Who is speaking and story frame

न्यस्येदमात्मनि जगद्विलयाम्बुमध्ये

शेषेत्मना निजसुखानुभवो निरीह: ।

योगेन मीलितद‍ृगात्मनिपीतनिद्र-

स्तुर्ये स्थितो न तु तमो न गुणांश्च युङ्‌क्षे ॥ ३२ ॥

nyasyedam ātmani jagad vilayāmbu-madhye

śeṣetmanā nija-sukhānubhavo nirīhaḥ

yogena mīlita-dṛg-ātma-nipīta-nidras

turye sthito na tu tamo na guṇāṁś ca yuṅkṣe

Translation

O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, after the annihilation the creative energy is kept in You, who appear to sleep with half-closed eyes. Actually, however, You do not sleep like an ordinary human being, for You are always in a transcendental stage, beyond the creation of the material world, and You always feel transcendental bliss. As Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, You thus remain in Your transcendental status, not touching material objects. Although You appear to sleep, this sleeping is distinct from sleeping in ignorance.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Is Always in Transcendental Bliss

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead and expands Himself as Mahā-Viṣṇu. After cosmic annihilation, He remains in transcendental bliss.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s yoga-nidrā is not ordinary sleep in the mode of ignorance. He is eternally blissful and always beyond material conditions.

  3. 3

    Real yoga means meditation upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not sleeping. The mind should remain actively fixed at the Lord’s lotus feet.

Key points from the purport
  • He is sac-cid-ānanda — eternally in bliss — and thus He is not disturbed by sleep like ordinary human beings.
  • It should be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in transcendental bliss in all stages.
  • In the śāstra, yoga is described as dhyānāvasthita, a state of full meditation, but this is meditation upon 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.

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:

For example, although Lord Brahmā appeared from the lotus seat that had grown from the abdomen of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, he could not understand what to do after his appearance. He was attacked by two demons, Madhu and Kaiṭabha, who took away Vedic knowledge, but the Lord killed them and entrusted to Lord Brahmā the Vedic knowledge.
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. nyasyathrowing
  2. idamthis
  3. ātmaniin Your own self
  4. jagatcosmic manifestation created by You
  5. vilaya-ambu-madhyein the Causal Ocean, in which everything is preserved in a state of reserved energy
  6. śeṣeYou act as if sleeping
  7. ātmanāby Yourself
  8. nijaYour own personal
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What helps you keep your mind actively attentive to the Lord rather than drifting into sleepiness?

Practice

Spend one attentive minute meditating on the Lord’s lotus feet, gently returning your mind whenever it wanders.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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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.

Live this todayThe Lord Is Always in Transcendental BlissThis 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 7.9.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.