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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 24: Matsya, the Lord’s Fish Incarnation
8.24.298.24.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.24.30

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The fishsince 8.24.22inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न तेऽरविन्दाक्ष पदोपसर्पणं

मृषा भवेत् सर्वसुहृत्प्रियात्मन: ।

यथेतरेषां पृथगात्मनां सता-

मदीद‍ृशो यद् वपुरद्भ‍ुतं हि न: ॥ ३० ॥

na te ’ravindākṣa padopasarpaṇaṁ

mṛṣā bhavet sarva-suhṛt-priyātmanaḥ

yathetareṣāṁ pṛthag-ātmanāṁ satām

adīdṛśo yad vapur adbhutaṁ hi naḥ

Translation

O my Lord, possessing eyes like the petals of a lotus, the worship of the demigods, who are in the bodily concept of life, is fruitless in all respects. But because You are the supreme friend and dearmost Supersoul of everyone, worship of Your lotus feet is never useless. You have therefore manifested Your form as a fish.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Worship of the Lord Never Goes Wasted

  1. 1

    The demigods are differentiated parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Like other embodied living entities, they must change their bodies in due course of time.

  2. 2

    Worship of the demigods for material purposes brings limited and temporary results. The Lord’s personal viṣṇu-tattva forms, however, are all spiritual.

  3. 3

    One should take to worshiping the lotus feet of Hari, the supreme friend and dearmost Supersoul of everyone. Even a slight attempt at this devotional worship is a permanent asset and gives immense benefit.

Key points from the purport
  • The demigods like Indra, Candra and Sūrya are ordinary living entities who are differentiated parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • In other words, if one is to worship someone else, he must worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • But worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives immense benefit.

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

Catastrophe → Trust and protection. Divine guardianship amid destruction closes the canto.

Chapter 24 of Canto 8: Matsya preserves life and knowledge. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 24: Matsya, the Lord’s Fish Incarnation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead took the incarnation of a fish at the beginning of the period of Svāyambhuva Manu and saved the Vedas. During the reign of Cākṣuṣa Manu there was a king named Satyavrata, who was a great pious ruler.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.24
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanever
  2. teof Your Lordship
  3. aravinda-akṣaMy Lord, whose eyes are like the petals of a lotus
  4. pada-upasarpaṇamworship of the lotus feet
  5. mṛṣāuseless
  6. bhavetcan become
  7. sarva-suhṛtthe friend of everyone
  8. priyadear to everyone
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.24

    In this verse: “worship”, “devotional”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 8.24

    In this verse: “friend”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.24

    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

Am I seeking only temporary results, or am I making devotional worship of the Lord my goal?

Practice

Spend one minute offering a sincere prayer to Hari, seeking devotional service rather than a temporary material reward.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWorship of the Lord Never Goes WastedThis 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 8.24.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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