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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
7.9.337.9.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.9.34

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
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

तत्सम्भव: कविरतोऽन्यदपश्यमान-

स्त्वां बीजमात्मनि ततं स बहिर्विचिन्त्य ।

नाविन्ददब्दशतमप्सु निमज्जमानो

जातेऽङ्कुरे कथमुहोपलभेत बीजम् ॥ ३४ ॥

tat-sambhavaḥ kavir ato ’nyad apaśyamānas

tvāṁ bījam ātmani tataṁ sa bahir vicintya

nāvindad abda-śatam apsu nimajjamāno

jāte ’ṅkure katham uhopalabheta bījam

Translation

From that great lotus flower, Brahmā was generated, but Brahmā certainly could see nothing but the lotus. Therefore, thinking You to be outside, Lord Brahmā dove into the water and attempted to find the source of the lotus for one hundred years. He could find no trace of You, however, for when a seed fructifies, the original seed cannot be seen.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize the Unseen Cause of Creation

  1. 1

    Brahmā searched for the lotus’s source for one hundred years but could not find the Lord. Like a seed that has fructified, the original cause was no longer visible.

  2. 2

    The purport compares creation to cotton becoming thread and thread becoming cloth. The original cause may be hidden within its developed effect.

  3. 3

    The Vedic literature explains that the Supreme Lord’s glance caused the agitation of material energy. Lord Viṣṇu must therefore be accepted as the supreme cause of all causes.

Key points from the purport
  • The development of the cosmic manifestation is like the fructification of a seed.
  • Similarly, it is perfectly correct that when the seed that had generated from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu became manifested as the cosmic creation, one could no longer understand where the cause of the cosmic manifestation is.
  • Thus one must accept the supreme cause, Lord Viṣṇu, as the cause of all causes.

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. tat-sambhavaḥwho was generated from that lotus flower
  2. kaviḥhe who can understand the subtle cause of creation (Lord Brahmā)
  3. ataḥfrom that (lotus)
  4. anyatanything else
  5. apaśyamānaḥnot able to see
  6. tvāmYour Lordship
  7. bījamthe cause of the lotus
  8. ātmaniin himself
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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

  • 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

Does being unable to see the original cause mean that it is absent?

Practice

Look at a piece of cloth and recall the cotton-and-thread example, then reflect on Lord Viṣṇu as creation’s unseen supreme cause.

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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.

Live this todayRecognize the Unseen Cause of CreationThis 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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