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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 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 8 · Chapter 12: The Mohinī-mūrti Incarnation Bewilders Lord Śiva
8.12.138.12.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.12.14

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.12.14inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

एवमभ्यर्थितो विष्णुर्भगवान् शूलपाणिना । प्रहस्य भावगम्भीरं गिरिशं प्रत्यभाषत ॥ १४ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

evam abhyarthito viṣṇur

bhagavān śūla-pāṇinā

prahasya bhāva-gambhīraṁ

giriśaṁ pratyabhāṣata

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When Lord Viṣṇu was thus requested by Lord Śiva, who carries a trident in his hand, He smiled with gravity and replied to Lord Śiva as follows.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is Lord of All Mystic Power

  1. 1

    Mystic yogīs practice to acquire power, but Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the Supreme Lord of all mystic power. The purport identifies Lord Viṣṇu as Yogeśvara.

  2. 2

    Durgādevī, who represents the material illusory energy and is Lord Śiva’s wife, could not captivate his mind. Yet Lord Viṣṇu could assume a form that would captivate even Lord Śiva.

  3. 3

    Lord Viṣṇu smiled while remaining grave. He was considering how to captivate Lord Śiva, who had requested to see Mohinī-mūrti.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Śiva wanted to see the Mohinī-mūrti, which was captivating the entire world, and Lord Viṣṇu was gravely thinking of how to captivate Lord Śiva also.
  • Durgādevī could not captivate Lord Śiva’s mind, but now that Lord Śiva wanted to see Lord Viṣṇu’s feminine form, Lord Viṣṇu, by His mystic power, would assume a form that would captivate even Lord Śiva.
  • Therefore Lord Viṣṇu was grave and at the same time was smiling.

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

Danger and ambition → Divine rescue and surprise. Cooperation, rivalry and revelation alternate rapidly.

Chapters 5–12 of Canto 8: Churning the ocean, poison and nectar. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 12: The Mohinī-mūrti Incarnation Bewilders Lord Śiva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then he expressed his desire. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is very kind to His devotees.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. evamin this way
  3. abhyarthitaḥbeing requested
  4. viṣṇuḥ bhagavānLord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. śūla-pāṇināby Lord Śiva, who carries a trident in his hand
  6. prahasyalaughing
  7. bhāva-gambhīramwith serious gravity
  8. giriśamunto Lord Śiva
  9. pratyabhāṣatareplied
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.12

    In this verse: “material”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I recognize the difference between acquired mystic power and the Lord’s supreme power?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer acknowledging Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord of all mystic power.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.12's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Lord of All Mystic PowerThis 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 8.12.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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