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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 23: The Demigods Regain the Heavenly Planets
8.23.288.23.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.23.29

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.23.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

पारं महिम्न उरुविक्रमतो गृणानो

य: पार्थिवानि विममे स रजांसि मर्त्य: ।

किं जायमान उत जात उपैति मर्त्य

इत्याह मन्त्रद‍ृगृषि: पुरुषस्य यस्य ॥ २९ ॥

pāraṁ mahimna uruvikramato gṛṇāno

yaḥ pārthivāni vimame sa rajāṁsi martyaḥ

kiṁ jāyamāna uta jāta upaiti martya

ity āha mantra-dṛg ṛṣiḥ puruṣasya yasya

Translation

One who is subject to death cannot measure the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Trivikrama, Lord Viṣṇu, any more than he can count the number of atoms on the entire planet earth. No one, whether born already or destined to take birth, is able to do this. This has been sung by the great sage Vasiṣṭha.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Glories Cannot Be Measured

  1. 1

    Vasiṣṭha Muni teaches that no one in the past could measure Lord Viṣṇu’s glories, and no one in the future can do so.

  2. 2

    One should be satisfied with seeing the glorious activities of the Supreme Lord’s creation rather than trying to measure them fully by speculation.

  3. 3

    The Lord pervades and supports the entire universe with a single fragment of Himself. The material creation is only one fourth of His creation; the other three fourths constitute the spiritual world.

Key points from the purport
  • One must simply be satisfied with seeing the glorious activities of the Supreme Lord’s creation.
  • Among the innumerable planets in only one universe, the so-called scientists cannot understand even the moon and Mars, but they try to defy the creation of the Supreme Lord and His uncommon energy.
  • Such crazy men unnecessarily waste time, energy and money in attempting to defy the glorious activities of Urukrama, 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.

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 8.23.29 quotesBG 10.42

The Lord therefore says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.42), viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat: “With a single fragment of Myself, I pervade and support this entire universe.”

The purport of SB 8.23.29 quotesSB 5.5.4

Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. Such crazy men unnecessarily waste time, energy and money in attempting to defy the glorious activities of Urukrama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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

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 23: The Demigods Regain the Heavenly Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Having seen the wonderful activities of Lord Viṣṇu in the sacrificial arena of Bali Mahārāja, all the demigods, saintly persons, Pitās, Bhūtas and Siddhas glorified the Lord again and again. The chapter concludes by saying that the most auspicious function of the conditioned soul is to chant and hear about the glorious activities of Lord Viṣṇu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.23
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pāramthe measurement
  2. mahimnaḥof the glories
  3. uruvikramataḥof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who acts wonderfully
  4. gṛṇānaḥcan count
  5. yaḥa person who
  6. pārthivāniof the whole planet earth
  7. vimamecan count
  8. saḥhe
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 8.23

    In this verse: “death”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.23

    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

Can I appreciate the Lord’s creation without expecting to measure all His glories?

Practice

Observe one feature of creation today and offer a brief expression of praise to the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 5.5.4

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.23's connections

Live this todayThe Lord’s Glories Cannot Be MeasuredThis 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 8.23.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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