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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
8.3.148.3.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.3.15

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

नमो नमस्तेऽखिलकारणाय

निष्कारणायाद्भ‍ुतकारणाय ।

सर्वागमाम्नायमहार्णवाय

नमोऽपवर्गाय परायणाय ॥ १५ ॥

namo namas te ’khila-kāraṇāya

niṣkāraṇāyādbhuta-kāraṇāya

sarvāgamāmnāya-mahārṇavāya

namo ’pavargāya parāyaṇāya

Translation

My Lord, You are the cause of all causes, but You Yourself have no cause. Therefore You are the wonderful cause of everything. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who are the shelter of the Vedic knowledge contained in the śāstras like the Pañcarātras and Vedānta-sūtra, which are Your representations, and who are the source of the paramparā system. Because it is You who can give liberation, You are the only shelter for all transcendentalists. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Cause

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes, yet He has no cause. Although everything emanates from Him, He remains complete and unchanged.

  2. 2

    Whatever one’s desires, one should worship Kṛṣṇa through transcendental loving service. Rather than seeking material enjoyment, one should worship Him for freedom from material bondage.

  3. 3

    All Vedic knowledge flows toward Kṛṣṇa like rivers toward an ocean. Understanding Him and taking shelter of Him is the ultimate goal.

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described herein as the wonderful cause.
  • Actually, however, one should worship Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for the sake of getting liberation.
  • Therefore, intelligent transcendentalists take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja).

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· 3

The purport of SB 8.3.15 quotesBG 10.8

Kṛṣṇa personally says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.8), mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate: “Everything emanates from Me.”

The purport of SB 8.3.15 quotesSB 2.3.10

“Whether one desires everything or nothing or desires to merge into the existence of the Lord, he is intelligent only if he worships Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by rendering transcendental loving service.”

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.87.15

You are the inconceivable cause of all causes, and of You there is no other cause.”

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:

He is the source of our knowledge, and He can give us liberation. Therefore it is our duty to understand Him according to the instructions of devotees, in particular the spiritual master.
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. namaḥI offer my respectful obeisances
  2. namaḥagain I offer my respectful obeisances
  3. teunto You
  4. akhila-kāraṇāyaunto the supreme cause of everything
  5. niṣkāraṇāyaunto You who are causeless
  6. adbhuta-kāraṇāyathe wonderful cause of everything
  7. sarvaall
  8. āgama-āmnāyaunto the source of the paramparā system of all Vedic knowledge
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understanding”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 8.3

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Is my spiritual study helping me take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, or merely gather information?

Practice

Offer a short prayer to Kṛṣṇa asking for shelter and freedom from material bondage rather than material enjoyment.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 2.3.10

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.3's connections

Live this todayTake Shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme CauseThis 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 8.3.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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