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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
8.12.398.12.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.12.40

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 8.12.38inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सेयं गुणमयी माया न त्वामभिभविष्यति । मया समेता कालेन कालरूपेण भागश: ॥ ४० ॥

seyaṁ guṇa-mayī māyā

na tvām abhibhaviṣyati

mayā sametā kālena

kāla-rūpeṇa bhāgaśaḥ

Translation

The material, external energy [māyā], who cooperates with Me in creation and who is manifested in the three modes of nature, will not be able to bewilder you any longer.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Material Nature Works Under the Lord’s Direction

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord assured Lord Śiva that the external energy, manifested in the three modes of nature, would no longer bewilder him.

  2. 2

    Durgā, Lord Śiva’s wife, works in cooperation with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Material nature produces moving and unmoving beings under His direction.

  3. 3

    The cosmos is created by Durgā in cooperation with Lord Viṣṇu in the form of kāla, time. Although Lord Śiva associates with māyā, Lord Viṣṇu assured him of protection from her bewilderment.

Key points from the purport
  • When Lord Śiva was present, his wife, Durgā, was also there.
  • The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10), mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sacarācaram: “The material energy [ prakṛti] works under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and is producing all moving and unmoving beings.”
  • Māyā happens to be the wife of Lord Śiva, and thus Lord Śiva is in association with māyā, but Lord Viṣṇu here assures Lord Śiva that this māyā will no longer be able to captivate him.

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 8.12.40 quotesBG 9.10

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10), mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sacarācaram: “The material energy [ prakṛti] works under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and is producing all moving and unmoving beings.”

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

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:

This demonstrates that by the power of the Lord’s external energy, everyone is captivated by the form of woman in this material world. Again, however, by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can overcome the influence of māyā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.12
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sāthat insurmountable
  2. iyamthis
  3. guṇa-mayīconsisting of the three modes of material nature
  4. māyāillusory energy
  5. nanot
  6. tvāmyou
  7. abhibhaviṣyatiwill be able to bewilder in the future
  8. mayāwith Me
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “māyā”, “material”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 8.12

    In this verse: “protection”

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 knowing that material nature works under the Lord’s direction shape my understanding of His supremacy?

Practice

Observe one moving and one unmoving being today, and remember that material nature produces both under the Supreme Lord’s direction.

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 todayMaterial Nature Works Under the Lord’s DirectionThis 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 8.12.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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