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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
8.16.318.16.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.16.32

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Kaśyapa Munisince 8.16.24inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नम: शिवाय रुद्राय नम: शक्तिधराय च ।

सर्वविद्याधिपतये भूतानां पतये नम: ॥ ३२ ॥

namaḥ śivāya rudrāya

namaḥ śakti-dharāya ca

sarva-vidyādhipataye

bhūtānāṁ pataye namaḥ

Translation

I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, Lord Śiva, or Rudra, who are the reservoir of all potencies, the reservoir of all knowledge, and the master of everyone.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Respect the Lord’s Expansions

  1. 1

    The prayer offers respectful obeisances to Lord Śiva, or Rudra, as the reservoir of all potencies and knowledge, and the master of everyone.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that one offers obeisances to an expansion or incarnation of the Lord.

  3. 3

    Lord Śiva is the incarnation of ignorance, one of the material modes of nature.

Key points from the purport
  • It is the system for one to offer obeisances unto the expansion or incarnation of the Lord.
  • Lord Śiva is the incarnation of ignorance, one of the material modes of nature.

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:

She then requested him to tell her how her sons could return and reoccupy their positions. She wanted all good fortune for her sons.
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. śivāyathe incarnation named Lord Śiva
  3. rudrāyathe expansion named Rudra
  4. namaḥobeisances
  5. śakti-dharāyathe reservoir of all potencies
  6. caand
  7. sarva-vidyā-adhipatayethe reservoir of all knowledge
  8. bhūtānāmof the living entities
  9. patayethe supreme master
  10. namaḥI offer my respectful obeisances unto You
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 8.16

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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 understanding Lord Śiva as an incarnation of the Lord guide my respect for him?

Practice

Read this prayer once and respectfully acknowledge Lord Śiva as an incarnation of the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRespect the Lord’s ExpansionsThis 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.

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