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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.
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Canto 8 · Chapter 14: The System of Universal Management
8.14.88.14.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.14.9

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.14.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सर्गं प्रजेशरूपेण दस्यून्हन्यात् स्वराड्‌वपु: ।

कालरूपेण सर्वेषामभावाय पृथग्गुण: ॥ ९ ॥

sargaṁ prajeśa-rūpeṇa

dasyūn hanyāt svarāḍ-vapuḥ

kāla-rūpeṇa sarveṣām

abhāvāya pṛthag guṇaḥ

Translation

In the form of Prajāpati Marīci, the Supreme Personality of Godhead creates progeny; becoming the king, He kills the thieves and rogues; and in the form of time, He annihilates everything. All the different qualities of material existence should be understood to be qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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 Lord’s Different Universal Roles

  1. 1

    In the form of Prajāpati Marīci, the Supreme Personality of Godhead creates progeny.

  2. 2

    Becoming the king, He kills thieves and rogues. In the form of time, He annihilates everything.

  3. 3

    The different qualities of material existence should be understood to be qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

How it feels

Uncertainty → Cosmic order. The narrative resets the frame to cyclical cosmic governance.

Chapters 13–14 of Canto 8: Manus and universal management. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 14: The System of Universal Management

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

As Marīci and others, He creates progeny; as the king, He punishes the miscreants; and in the form of time, He annihilates the creation. One may argue, “If the all-powerful Supreme Personality of Godhead can do anything simply by His will, why has He arranged for so many personalities to manage?”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sargamcreation of progeny
  2. prajā-īśa-rūpeṇain the form of the Prajāpati Marīci and others
  3. dasyūnthieves and rogues
  4. hanyātkills
  5. sva-rāṭ-vapuḥin the form of the king
  6. kāla-rūpeṇain the form of time
  7. sarveṣāmof everything
  8. abhāvāyafor the annihilation
  9. pṛthakdifferent
  10. guṇaḥpossessing qualities
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 8.14

    In this verse: “material”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.14

    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

How does this verse broaden my understanding of the Supreme Lord’s involvement in material existence?

Practice

Write down the three roles described here: creating progeny, punishing thieves and rogues, and annihilating everything as time.

Live this todayRecognize the Lord’s Different Universal RolesThis 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 8.14.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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