1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
8.16.298.16.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.16.30

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Kaśyapa Munisince 8.16.24inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नमोऽव्यक्ताय सूक्ष्माय प्रधानपुरुषाय च ।

चतुर्विंशद्गुणज्ञाय गुणसङ्ख्यानहेतवे ॥ ३० ॥

namo ’vyaktāya sūkṣmāya

pradhāna-puruṣāya ca

catur-viṁśad-guṇa-jñāya

guṇa-saṅkhyāna-hetave

Translation

I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, the Supreme Person. Being very subtle, You are never visible to material eyes. You are the knower of the twenty-four elements, and You are the inaugurator of the sāṅkhya-yoga system.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Honor the Supreme Knower of All Elements

  1. 1

    The Supreme Person is very subtle and cannot be seen by material eyes. The prayer offers Him respectful obeisances as the knower of the twenty-four elements.

  2. 2

    These elements are the five gross elements, three subtle elements, ten senses, five sense objects and contaminated consciousness.

  3. 3

    Lord Kapiladeva inaugurated sāṅkhya-yoga, which studies these elements. The system later propounded by another, atheistic Kapila is not accepted as bona fide.

Key points from the purport
  • Catur-viṁśad-guṇa, the twenty-four elements, are the five gross elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether), the three subtle elements (mind, intelligence and false ego), the ten senses (five for working and five for acquiring knowledge), the five sense objects, and contaminated consciousness.
  • These are the subject matter of sāṅkhya-yoga, which was inaugurated by Lord Kapiladeva.
  • This sāṅkhya-yoga was again propounded by another Kapila, but he was an atheist, and his system is not accepted as bona fide.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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:

Moved by Aditi’s request, Kaśyapa Muni instructed her in the philosophy of self-realization, the difference between matter and spirit, and how to be unaffected by material loss. But when he saw that Aditi was not satisfied even after he had given these instructions, he advised her to worship Vāsudeva, Janārdana.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. namaḥI offer my respectful obeisances unto You
  2. avyaktāyawho are never seen by material eyes
  3. sūkṣmāyatranscendental
  4. pradhāna-puruṣāyathe Supreme Person
  5. caalso
  6. catuḥ-viṁśattwenty-four
  7. guṇa-jñāyathe knower of the elements
  8. guṇa-saṅkhyānaof the sāṅkhya-yoga system
  9. hetavethe original cause
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.16

    In this verse: “material”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 8.16

    In this verse: “contaminated”

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 prayer invite me to honor the Supreme Person beyond what my eyes can see?

Practice

Read the prayer once with attention, offering respect to the Supreme Person as the knower of the twenty-four elements.

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 8.16's connections

Live this todayHonor the Supreme Knower of All ElementsThis 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 8.16.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories