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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 16: Executing the Payo-vrata Process of Worship
8.16.198.16.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.16.20

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Kaśyapa Munisince 8.16.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

उपतिष्ठस्व पुरुषं भगवन्तं जनार्दनम् ।

सर्वभूतगुहावासं वासुदेवं जगद्गुरुम् ॥ २० ॥

upatiṣṭhasva puruṣaṁ

bhagavantaṁ janārdanam

sarva-bhūta-guhā-vāsaṁ

vāsudevaṁ jagad-gurum

Translation

My dear Aditi, engage in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of everything, who can subdue everyone’s enemies, and who sits within everyone’s heart. Only that Supreme Person — Kṛṣṇa, or Vāsudeva — can bestow all auspicious benedictions upon everyone, for He is the spiritual master of the universe.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Shelter of Kṛṣṇa Through Devotional Service

  1. 1

    Kaśyapa directed Aditi to worship Kṛṣṇa, or Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is everyone's friend, dwells in everyone's heart and is the source of all auspicious benedictions.

  2. 2

    Devotional service raises one above goodness, passion and ignorance into pure consciousness. Only in this uncontaminated condition can one perceive Vāsudeva.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa gives understanding to those who worship Him with love, helping them overcome difficulties and return to Him. A genuine spiritual master directs others to His shelter and teaches His instructions without inventing personal theories.

Key points from the purport
  • If anything good can be done, it is done by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva.
  • Therefore, Kaśyapa Muni advised his wife, Aditi, to begin worshiping Lord Vāsudeva, who is situated in everyone’s heart.
  • Kaśyapa Muni did not falsely declare himself to be jagad-guru, although he actually was jagad-guru because he advocated the cause of Vāsudeva.

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· 4

The purport of SB 8.16.20 quotesSB 4.3.23

Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. Above material nature is the position called vasudeva, or freedom from material contamination.

The purport of SB 8.16.20 quotesBG 10.10

“To those who are constantly devoted and who worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

The purport of SB 8.16.20 quotesBG 18.61

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna.”

The purport of SB 8.16.20 quotesBG 5.29

“The sage who knows Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.”

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

Loss and hope → Revelation. A shift in fortune sets up a spiritual test.

Chapters 15–18 of Canto 8: Bali, Aditi and Vāmana's appearance. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 16: Executing the Payo-vrata Process of Worship

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Everywhere in the āśrama, he saw signs of lamentation. The great sage therefore inquired from his wife about the well-being of the āśrama and asked her why she looked so morose.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. upatiṣṭhasvajust try to worship
  2. puruṣamthe Supreme Person
  3. bhagavantamthe Personality of Godhead
  4. janārdanamwho can kill all the enemies
  5. sarva-bhūta-guhā-vāsamliving within the core of the heart of everyone
  6. vāsudevamVāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, who is all-pervading and is the son of Vasudeva
  7. jagat-gurumthe spiritual master and teacher of the whole world
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.16

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “worship”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 8.16

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 8.16

    In this verse: “friend”

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

When I feel perplexed, do I seek Kṛṣṇa's shelter and guidance for devotional service?

Practice

Take a quiet moment today to pray to Kṛṣṇa for the understanding to serve Him with love.

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.

The purport quotesSB 4.3.23

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.16's connections

Live this todayTake Shelter of Kṛṣṇa Through Devotional ServiceThis 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 8.16.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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