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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
8.24.68.24.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.24.7

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.24.5inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

आसीदतीतकल्पान्ते ब्राह्मो नैमित्तिको लय: ।

समुद्रोपप्लुतास्तत्र लोका भूरादयो नृप ॥ ७ ॥

āsīd atīta-kalpānte

brāhmo naimittiko layaḥ

samudropaplutās tatra

lokā bhūr-ādayo nṛpa

Translation

O King Parīkṣit, at the end of the past millennium, at the end of Brahmā’s day, because Lord Brahmā sleeps during the night, annihilation took place, and the three worlds were covered by the water of the ocean.

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.

The Three Worlds Become Inundated

  1. 1

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes an annihilation at the end of the past millennium.

  2. 2

    This occurred at the end of Brahmā’s day, as Brahmā sleeps during the night.

  3. 3

    At that time, the three worlds were covered by the water of the ocean.

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:

Once, at the end of the previous kalpa, a demon named Hayagrīva wanted to take the Vedic knowledge away from Lord Brahmā at the time of annihilation. 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.24
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. āsītthere was
  2. atītapast
  3. kalpa-anteat the end of the kalpa
  4. brāhmaḥof Lord Brahmā’s day
  5. naimittikaḥbecause of that
  6. layaḥinundation
  7. samudrain the ocean
  8. upaplutāḥwere inundated
3

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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.24

    In this verse: “king”

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

What strikes you about the three worlds being covered by ocean water?

Practice

Write a one-sentence summary of the setting described in this verse.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Three Worlds Become InundatedThis 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 8.24.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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