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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
8.17.258.17.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.17.26

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 8.17.25inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नमस्ते पृश्निगर्भाय वेदगर्भाय वेधसे ।

त्रिनाभाय त्रिपृष्ठाय शिपिविष्टाय विष्णवे ॥ २६ ॥

namas te pṛśni-garbhāya

veda-garbhāya vedhase

tri-nābhāya tri-pṛṣṭhāya

śipi-viṣṭāya viṣṇave

Translation

I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, the all-pervading Lord Viṣṇu, who have entered the cores of the hearts of all living entities. All the three worlds reside within Your navel, yet You are above the three worlds. Formerly You appeared as the son of Pṛśni. To You, the supreme creator, who are understood only through Vedic knowledge, I offer my respectful obeisances.

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.

The All-Pervading Lord Is Above All

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu is all-pervading and has entered the cores of the hearts of all living entities.

  2. 2

    All three worlds reside within His navel, yet He remains above the three worlds.

  3. 3

    He formerly appeared as the son of Pṛśni. He is the supreme creator, understood only through Vedic knowledge.

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:

Lord Brahmā, who is known as Hiraṇyagarbha, understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead had entered Aditi’s womb. Thus he offered prayers to the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. namaḥ teI offer my respectful obeisances unto You
  2. pṛśni-garbhāyawho formerly lived within the womb of Pṛśni (Aditi in her previous birth)
  3. veda-garbhāyawho always remain within Vedic knowledge
  4. vedhasewho are full of knowledge
  5. tri-nābhāyawithin the stem growing from whose navel live all the three worlds
  6. tri-pṛṣṭhāyawho are transcendental to the three worlds
  7. śipi-viṣṭāyawho are within the cores of the hearts of all living entities
  8. viṣṇaveunto the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead
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 8.17

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

What does it mean to me that the Lord is within every heart yet above all three worlds?

Practice

Read this verse once as a prayer, pausing to remember Lord Viṣṇu’s presence within the heart.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe All-Pervading Lord Is Above AllThis 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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