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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 17: The Supreme Lord Agrees to Become Aditi’s Son
8.17.268.17.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.17.27

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

त्वमादिरन्तो भुवनस्य मध्य-

मनन्तशक्तिं पुरुषं यमाहु: ।

कालो भवानाक्षिपतीश विश्वं

स्रोतो यथान्त:पतितं गभीरम् ॥ २७ ॥

tvam ādir anto bhuvanasya madhyam

ananta-śaktiṁ puruṣaṁ yam āhuḥ

kālo bhavān ākṣipatīśa viśvaṁ

sroto yathāntaḥ patitaṁ gabhīram

Translation

O my Lord, You are the beginning, the manifestation and the ultimate dissolution of the three worlds, and You are celebrated in the Vedas as the reservoir of unlimited potencies, the Supreme Person. O my Lord, as waves attract branches and leaves that have fallen into deep water, You, the supreme eternal time factor, attract everything in this universe.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Everything Is Carried by Eternal Time

  1. 1

    The Lord is the beginning, manifestation and ultimate dissolution of the three worlds.

  2. 2

    The Vedas celebrate Him as the Supreme Person and the reservoir of unlimited potencies.

  3. 3

    Everything in this material world is carried away by the waves of time. These waves of attraction represent the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • The time factor is sometimes described as kāla-srota, waves of time.
  • Everything in this material world is within the time factor and is being carried away by waves of attraction, which represent the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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 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. tvamYour Lordship
  2. ādiḥthe original cause
  3. antaḥthe cause of dissolution
  4. bhuvanasyaof the universe
  5. madhyammaintenance of the present manifestation
  6. ananta-śaktimthe reservoir of unlimited potencies
  7. puruṣamthe Supreme Person
  8. yamwhom
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    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 seeing everything carried by time deepen my recognition of the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Notice one change around you today, and recall the verse’s image of everything being carried by waves of time.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEverything Is Carried by Eternal TimeThis 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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