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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 3: Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender
8.3.138.3.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.3.14

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The King of the elephants, Gajendrasince 8.3.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सर्वेन्द्रियगुणद्रष्ट्रे सर्वप्रत्ययहेतवे ।

असताच्छाययोक्ताय सदाभासाय ते नम: ॥ १४ ॥

sarvendriya-guṇa-draṣṭre

sarva-pratyaya-hetave

asatā cchāyayoktāya

sad-ābhāsāya te namaḥ

Translation

My Lord, You are the observer of all the objectives of the senses. Without Your mercy, there is no possibility of solving the problem of doubts. The material world is just like a shadow resembling You. Indeed, one accepts this material world as real because it gives a glimpse of Your existence.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Directs and Resolves Doubts

  1. 1

    The Lord observes all the objectives of the senses. Without His direction, the living entity cannot take even a step forward.

  2. 2

    Remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness come from the Lord within the heart. When the conditioned soul wants to forget Him and pursue material enjoyment, He allows that opportunity life after life.

  3. 3

    The material world resembles a shadow of spiritual reality. Its activities point to the Lord’s supervision, just as an earthen pot points to the existence of a potter.

Key points from the purport
  • The living entity under the clutches of māyā wants to enjoy this material world, but unless You give him directions and remind him, he cannot make progress in pursuing his shadowy objective in life.
  • Because the conditioned soul wants to forget You, by Your grace You give him opportunities, life after life, by which he can almost perpetually forget You.
  • The activities of the material world suggest that behind them is the superintendence of the Lord.

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· 1

The purport of SB 8.3.14 quotesBG 15.15

As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca.

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

Helplessness → Surrender and rescue. A mighty animal finally realizes the limits of strength.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 8: Gajendra's struggle and prayers. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 3: Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Lord can observe the activities of our senses, which can work and achieve material results because of His mercy. Although He is the original source of everything, He is untouched by any of His by-products.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.3
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sarva-indriya-guṇa-draṣṭreunto the seer of all objectives pursued by the senses
  2. sarva-pratyaya-hetavewho is the solution to all doubts (and without whose help one cannot solve all doubts and inabilities)
  3. asatāwith the manifestation of unreality or illusion
  4. chāyayābecause of the resemblance
  5. uktāyacalled
  6. satof reality
  7. ābhāsāyaunto the reflection
  8. teunto You
  9. namaḥI offer my respectful obeisances
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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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 8.3

    In this verse: “mercy”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.3

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 8.3

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I using my remembrance to turn toward the Lord or to pursue objectives that help me forget Him?

Practice

Bring one spiritual doubt before the Lord in prayer, asking for His mercy to understand.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Directs and Resolves DoubtsThis 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.

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