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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

8.12.16 8.12.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.12.17

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.12.17inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

इति ब्रुवाणो भगवांस्तत्रैवान्तरधीयत । सर्वतश्चारयंश्चक्षुर्भव आस्ते सहोमया ॥ १७ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

iti bruvāṇo bhagavāṁs

tatraivāntaradhīyata

sarvataś cārayaṁś cakṣur

bhava āste sahomayā

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: After speaking in this way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, immediately disappeared, and Lord Śiva remained there with Umā, looking for Him all around with moving eyes.

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This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Śiva Looks for the Lord

1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes what happened after the Lord finished speaking.
2
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, immediately disappeared.
3
Lord Śiva remained there with Umā. Moving his eyes in every direction, he looked for the Lord.

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

Chapter 12: The Mohinī-mūrti Incarnation Bewilders Lord Śiva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then he left for his own abode. Śukadeva Gosvāmī concludes this chapter by describing the transcendental qualities of Uttamaśloka, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and by declaring that one can glorify the Lord by nine kinds of devotional service, beginning with śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.12