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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.12.7

Who is speaking and story frame

त्वं ब्रह्म पूर्णममृतं विगुणं विशोक-

मानन्दमात्रमविकारमनन्यदन्यत् ।

विश्वस्य हेतुरुदयस्थितिसंयमाना-

मात्मेश्वरश्च तदपेक्षतयानपेक्ष: ॥ ७ ॥

tvaṁ brahma pūrṇam amṛtaṁ viguṇaṁ viśokam

ānanda-mātram avikāram ananyad anyat

viśvasya hetur udaya-sthiti-saṁyamānām

ātmeśvaraś ca tad-apekṣatayānapekṣaḥ

Translation

My Lord, You are the Supreme Brahman, complete in everything. Being completely spiritual, You are eternal, free from the material modes of nature, and full of transcendental bliss. Indeed, for You there is no question of lamentation. Since You are the supreme cause, the cause of all causes, nothing can exist without You. Yet we are different from You in a relationship of cause and effect, for in one sense the cause and effect are different. You are the original cause of creation, manifestation and annihilation, and You bestow benedictions upon all living entities. Everyone depends upon You for the results of his activities, but You are always independent.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

We Depend on the Independent Lord

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the supreme cause and controller, and His form is free from the material modes of nature. Everything rests upon Him, yet He remains differently situated from everything material.

  2. 2

    The Lord is fully independent, while all living entities depend on His sanction. Remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness come from Him.

  3. 3

    The Lord can grant perfection and liberation by His causeless mercy, without depending on anyone’s service. A pure devotee nevertheless serves continuously, without motives or expectations of results.

Key points from the purport
  • Indeed, because the Lord is differently situated from everything material, He is the Supreme Brahman, the supreme cause, the supreme controller.
  • The Lord is the supreme cause, and His form has nothing to do with the material modes of nature.
  • The living entities depend on Your mercy for liberation, but when You want to give them liberation, You do not depend on anyone else.

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 8.12.7 quotesBG 9.4

The Supreme Personality of Godhead says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4): “By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded.

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:

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamYour Lordship
  2. brahmathe all-pervading Absolute Truth
  3. pūrṇamfully complete
  4. amṛtamnever to be vanquished
  5. viguṇamspiritually situated, free from the material modes of nature
  6. viśokamwithout lamentation
  7. ānanda-mātramalways in transcendental bliss
  8. avikāramchangeless
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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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 8.12

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 8.12

    In this verse: “free from”

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 can you serve with care while giving up the expectation that your service obliges the Lord to reward you?

Practice

Before one act of devotional service today, pause and set the intention to serve without asking for a reward.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWe Depend on the Independent LordThis 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 8.12.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.