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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

8.24.40 8.24.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.24.41

Nirodha· Winding up

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 8.24.32inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तत: समुद्र उद्वेल: सर्वत: प्लावयन् महीम् ।

वर्धमानो महामेघैर्वर्षद्भ‍ि: समद‍ृश्यत ॥ ४१ ॥

tataḥ samudra udvelaḥ

sarvataḥ plāvayan mahīm

vardhamāno mahā-meghair

varṣadbhiḥ samadṛśyata

Translation

Thereafter, gigantic clouds pouring incessant water swelled the ocean more and more. Thus the ocean began to overflow onto the land and inundate the entire world.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Waters Inundate the World

1
Gigantic clouds pour water incessantly.
2
The continuous rain makes the ocean swell more and more.
3
The ocean overflows onto the land and inundates the entire world.

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

Chapter 24: Matsya, the Lord’s Fish Incarnation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The fish, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, wanted to show His potency to King Satyavrata, and thus He immediately expanded His body in such a way that He could no longer be kept in the jug of water. The King then put the fish in a big well, but the well was also too small.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.24

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tataḥthereafter
samudraḥthe ocean
udvelaḥoverflowing
sarvataḥeverywhere
plāvayaninundating
mahīmthe earth
vardhamānaḥincreasing more and more
mahā-meghaiḥby gigantic clouds
varṣadbhiḥincessantly pouring rain
samadṛśyataKing Satyavrata saw it

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead
What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this description help me notice about the overwhelming scale of the inundation?

Practice

Reread the translation and trace its three stages: pouring rain, swelling ocean and worldwide inundation.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Waters Inundate the WorldThis 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 8.24.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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