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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
8.12.38.12.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.12.4

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Mahādevasince 8.12.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीमहादेव उवाच

देवदेव जगद्वय‍ापिञ्जगदीश जगन्मय ।

सर्वेषामपि भावानां त्वमात्मा हेतुरीश्वर: ॥ ४ ॥

śrī-mahādeva uvāca

deva-deva jagad-vyāpiñ

jagad-īśa jagan-maya

sarveṣām api bhāvānāṁ

tvam ātmā hetur īśvaraḥ

Translation

Lord Mahādeva said: O chief demigod among the demigods, O all-pervading Lord, master of the universe, by Your energy You are transformed into the creation. You are the root and efficient cause of everything. You are not material. Indeed, You are the Supersoul or supreme living force of everything. Therefore, You are Parameśvara, the supreme controller of all controllers.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Supreme Controller

  1. 1

    Although Lord Viṣṇu is present alongside Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, He is not in the same category. He is the chief of all the demigods.

  2. 2

    Lord Śiva addresses Lord Viṣṇu as the master of the universe. Lord Viṣṇu rules the spiritual world and also controls the material world.

  3. 3

    The supreme controller is Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything works in proper order because of His presence, even within the smallest atoms.

Key points from the purport
  • Since Lord Śiva is in this material world, the energy of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, includes Lord Śiva.
  • Lord Viṣṇu is therefore called jagad-vyāpī, “the all-pervading Lord.”
  • Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are also sometimes called īśvara, but the supreme īśvara is Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Kṛṣṇa.

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:

Lord Śiva offered obeisances to the Supreme Lord as the all-pervading Lord, the universal form, the supreme controller of creation, the Supersoul, the resting place for everyone, and the completely independent cause of all causes. Thus he offered prayers giving truthful descriptions of the Lord.
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-mahādevaḥ uvācaLord Śiva (Mahādeva) said
  2. deva-devaO best demigod among the demigods
  3. jagat-vyāpinO all-pervading Lord
  4. jagat-īśaO master of the universe
  5. jagat-mayaO my Lord, who are transformed by Your energy into this creation
  6. sarveṣām apiall kinds of
  7. bhāvānāmsituations
  8. tvamYou
3

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

  • 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

How does Lord Śiva’s acknowledgment of the supreme controller shape your understanding of Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Reread Lord Śiva’s prayer and pause at the words “the supreme controller of all controllers.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Supreme ControllerThis 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 8.12.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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