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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 21: Bali Mahārāja Arrested by the Lord
8.21.198.21.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.21.20

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.21.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

य: प्रभु: सर्वभूतानां सुखदु:खोपपत्तये ।

तं नातिवर्तितुं दैत्या: पौरुषैरीश्वर: पुमान् ॥ २० ॥

yaḥ prabhuḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

sukha-duḥkhopapattaye

taṁ nātivartituṁ daityāḥ

pauruṣair īśvaraḥ pumān

Translation

O Daityas, by human efforts no one can supersede the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can bring happiness and distress to all living entities.

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.

Human Effort Cannot Supersede the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead can bring happiness and distress to all living entities.

  2. 2

    No one can supersede Him by human efforts.

  3. 3

    Bali Mahārāja asked the Daityas to recognize this limit of their own power.

How it feels

Public loss and humiliation → Total surrender. An apparent external defeat conceals a devotional triumph.

Chapters 19–23 of Canto 8: Vāmana tests Bali; Bali offers everything. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 21: Bali Mahārāja Arrested by the Lord

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

With the second step the Supreme Personality of Godhead reached the topmost planet of the universe, Brahmaloka, which He diminished in beauty by the effulgence of His toenails. Thus Lord Brahmā, accompanied by great sages like Marīci and the predominating deities of all the higher planets, offered humble prayers and worship to the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.21
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yaḥ prabhuḥthat Supreme Person, the master
  2. sarva-bhūtānāmof all living entities
  3. sukha-duḥkha-upapattayefor administering happiness and distress
  4. tamHim
  5. nanot
  6. ativartitumto overcome
  7. daityāḥO demons
  8. pauruṣaiḥby human endeavors
  9. īśvaraḥthe supreme controller
  10. pumāna person
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 8.21

    In this verse: “distress”

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

Where am I treating my own effort as though it could control every outcome?

Practice

Before one task today, acknowledge that your effort cannot supersede the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHuman Effort Cannot Supersede the Supreme LordThis 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 8.21.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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