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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 7.9.48

Who is speaking and story frame

त्वं वायुरग्निरवनिर्वियदम्बु मात्रा:

प्राणेन्द्रियाणि हृदयं चिदनुग्रहश्च ।

सर्वं त्वमेव सगुणो विगुणश्च भूमन्

नान्यत् त्वदस्त्यपि मनोवचसा निरुक्तम् ॥ ४८ ॥

tvaṁ vāyur agnir avanir viyad ambu mātrāḥ

prāṇendriyāṇi hṛdayaṁ cid anugrahaś ca

sarvaṁ tvam eva saguṇo viguṇaś ca bhūman

nānyat tvad asty api mano-vacasā niruktam

Translation

O Supreme Lord, You are actually the air, the earth, fire, sky and water. You are the objects of sense perception, the life airs, the five senses, the mind, consciousness and false ego. Indeed, You are everything, subtle and gross. The material elements and anything expressed, either by the words or by the mind, are nothing but You.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize Kṛṣṇa’s Presence Everywhere

  1. 1

    The Lord pervades everything, subtle and gross, including the material elements, senses and mind. Nothing exists without Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Brahman.

  2. 2

    Everything exists in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet He is not visible everywhere. His all-pervading presence does not mean that we automatically perceive Him.

  3. 3

    The Lord can be visible only through devotional service. He stays where His devotees chant His glories.

Key points from the purport
  • This is the all-pervasive conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which explains how He spreads everywhere and anywhere.
  • Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma: everything is Brahman — the Supreme Brahman, Kṛṣṇa.
  • Tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ: the Supreme Lord stays only where His devotees chant His glories.

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 7.9.48 quotesBG 9.4

As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4): “I exist everywhere, and everything exists in Me, yet I am not visible everywhere.”

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:

The Lord is the cause of everything, and therefore He is the cause of this creation. One should therefore always engage in devotional service by offering respectful obeisances to the Lord, offering prayers, working for the Lord, worshiping the Lord in the temple, always remembering the Lord and always hearing about His transcendental activities.
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 (are)
  2. vāyuḥair
  3. agniḥfire
  4. avaniḥearth
  5. viyatsky
  6. ambuwater
  7. mātrāḥthe sense objects
  8. prāṇathe life airs
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotees”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “false ego”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might remembering that nothing exists without Kṛṣṇa change my attention today?

Practice

Take a moment to notice the air, earth or water around you, remember its dependence on Kṛṣṇa, and chant His glories.

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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 Kṛṣṇa’s Presence EverywhereThis 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 7.9.48? Get an answer from the verses themselves.