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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 17: The Supreme Lord Agrees to Become Aditi’s Son
8.17.228.17.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.17.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.17.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सोऽदित्यां वीर्यमाधत्त तपसा चिरसम्भृतम् ।

समाहितमना राजन्दारुण्यग्निं यथानिल: ॥ २३ ॥

so ’dityāṁ vīryam ādhatta

tapasā cira-sambhṛtam

samāhita-manā rājan

dāruṇy agniṁ yathānilaḥ

Translation

O King, as the wind promotes friction between two pieces of wood and thus gives rise to fire, Kaśyapa Muni, whose transcendental position was fully absorbed in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, transferred his potency into the womb of Aditi.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Appearance Is Transcendental

  1. 1

    As fire is different from both wood and wind, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is aloof from material combinations. His appearance through Kaśyapa Muni and Aditi was not an ordinary birth.

  2. 2

    The Lord is equal toward all living entities. Nonetheless, He entered Aditi’s womb to protect the devotees and kill the disturbing demons.

  3. 3

    The soul is different from the reproductive cells and is not a product of material elements. Placed in material conditions according to his activities, the conditioned soul experiences the reactions of material nature.

Key points from the purport
  • A forest fire begins when two pieces of wood rub against one another, being agitated by the wind.
  • Actually, however, fire belongs neither to the wood nor to the wind; it is always different from both.
  • One should not think that the Lord became the son of Aditi the way an ordinary child is born because of sexual intercourse between man and woman.

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· 2

The purport of SB 8.17.23 quotesBG 9.29

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.29), samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu: “I am equal toward all living entities.”

The purport of SB 8.17.23 quotesBG 13.22

Thus he meets with good and evil amongst various species.”

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 17: The Supreme Lord Agrees to Become Aditi’s Son

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Following the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Aditi engaged in the service of Kaśyapa Muni, who could see by samādhi that the Lord was within him and who thus placed his semen in the womb of Aditi. Lord Brahmā, who is known as Hiraṇyagarbha, understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead had entered Aditi’s womb.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥKaśyapa
  2. adityāmunto Aditi
  3. vīryamsemen
  4. ādhattaplaced
  5. tapasāby austerity
  6. cira-sambhṛtamrestrained for long, long years
  7. samāhita-manāḥbeing fully in trance upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  8. rājanO King
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.17

    In this verse: “king”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.17

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.17

    In this verse: “devotees”

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

Am I thinking of the Lord’s appearance as an ordinary birth, or as His transcendental pastime?

Practice

Reread the fire analogy and write one sentence explaining why the Lord’s appearance is not an ordinary material birth.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Appearance Is TranscendentalThis 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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