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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
8.12.448.12.46

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.12.45

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.12.45inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

इति तेऽभिहितस्तात विक्रम: शार्ङ्गधन्वन: । सिन्धोर्निर्मथने येन धृत: पृष्ठे महाचल: ॥ ४५ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

iti te ’bhihitas tāta

vikramaḥ śārṅga-dhanvanaḥ

sindhor nirmathane yena

dhṛtaḥ pṛṣṭhe mahācalaḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, the person who bore the great mountain on His back for the churning of the Ocean of Milk is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Śārṅga-dhanvā. I have now described to you His prowess.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize the Supreme Lord’s Prowess

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead bore the great mountain on His back during the churning of the Ocean of Milk.

  2. 2

    That same Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as Śārṅga-dhanvā.

  3. 3

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī concludes by telling the King that he has described the Lord’s prowess.

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 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 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. itithus
  3. teunto you
  4. abhihitaḥexplained
  5. tātamy dear King
  6. vikramaḥprowess
  7. śārṅga-dhanvanaḥof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who carries the Śārṅga bow
  8. sindhoḥof the Ocean of Milk
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.12

    In this verse: “king”

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

What does the Lord’s bearing the great mountain help me appreciate about His power?

Practice

Read this translation aloud once as a description of the Supreme Lord’s prowess.

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 todayRecognize the Supreme Lord’s ProwessThis 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 8.12.45? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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