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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 8.4.17-24

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीभगवानुवाच

ये मां त्वां च सरश्चेदं गिरिकन्दरकाननम् ।

वेत्रकीचकवेणूनां गुल्मानि सुरपादपान् ॥ १७ ॥

श‍ृङ्गाणीमानि धिष्ण्यानि ब्रह्मणो मे शिवस्य च ।

क्षीरोदं मे प्रियं धाम श्वेतद्वीपं च भास्वरम् ॥ १८ ॥

श्रीवत्सं कौस्तुभं मालां गदां कौमोदकीं मम ।

सुदर्शनं पाञ्चजन्यं सुपर्णं पतगेश्वरम् ॥ १९ ॥

शेषं च मत्कलां सूक्ष्मां श्रियं देवीं मदाश्रयाम् ।

ब्रह्माणं नारदमृषिं भवं प्रह्लादमेव च ॥ २० ॥

मत्स्यकूर्मवराहाद्यैरवतारै: कृतानि मे ।

कर्माण्यनन्तपुण्यानि सूर्यं सोमं हुताशनम् ॥ २१ ॥

प्रणवं सत्यमव्यक्तं गोविप्रान् धर्ममव्ययम् ।

दाक्षायणीर्धर्मपत्नी: सोमकश्यपयोरपि ॥ २२ ॥

गङ्गां सरस्वतीं नन्दां कालिन्दीं सितवारणम् ।

ध्रुवं ब्रह्मऋषीन्सप्त पुण्यश्लोकांश्च मानवान् ॥ २३ ॥

उत्थायापररात्रान्ते प्रयता: सुसमाहिता: ।

स्मरन्ति मम रूपाणि मुच्यन्ते तेꣷहसोऽखिलात् ॥ २४ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

ye māṁ tvāṁ ca saraś cedaṁ

giri-kandara-kānanam

vetra-kīcaka-veṇūnāṁ

gulmāni sura-pādapān

śṛṅgāṇīmāni dhiṣṇyāni

brahmaṇo me śivasya ca

kṣīrodaṁ me priyaṁ dhāma

śveta-dvīpaṁ ca bhāsvaram

śrīvatsaṁ kaustubhaṁ mālāṁ

gadāṁ kaumodakīṁ mama

sudarśanaṁ pāñcajanyaṁ

suparṇaṁ patageśvaram

śeṣaṁ ca mat-kalāṁ sūkṣmāṁ

śriyaṁ devīṁ mad-āśrayām

brahmāṇaṁ nāradam ṛṣiṁ

bhavaṁ prahrādam eva ca

matsya-kūrma-varāhādyair

avatāraiḥ kṛtāni me

karmāṇy ananta-puṇyāni

sūryaṁ somaṁ hutāśanam

praṇavaṁ satyam avyaktaṁ

go-viprān dharmam avyayam

dākṣāyaṇīr dharma-patnīḥ

soma-kaśyapayor api

gaṅgāṁ sarasvatīṁ nandāṁ

kālindīṁ sita-vāraṇam

dhruvaṁ brahma-ṛṣīn sapta

puṇya-ślokāṁś ca mānavān

utthāyāpara-rātrānte

prayatāḥ susamāhitāḥ

smaranti mama rūpāṇi

mucyante te ’ṁhaso ’khilāt

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Freed from all sinful reactions are those who rise from bed at the end of night, early in the morning, and fully concentrate their minds with great attention upon My form; your form; this lake; this mountain; the caves; the gardens; the cane plants; the bamboo plants; the celestial trees; the residential quarters of Me, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva; the three peaks of Trikūṭa Mountain, made of gold, silver and iron; My very pleasing abode [the Ocean of Milk]; the white island, Śvetadvīpa, which is always brilliant with spiritual rays; My mark of Śrīvatsa; the Kaustubha gem; My Vaijayantī garland; My club, Kaumodakī; My Sudarśana disc and Pāñcajanya conchshell; My bearer, Garuḍa, the king of the birds; My bed, Śeṣa Nāga; My expansion of energy the goddess of fortune; Lord Brahmā; Nārada Muni; Lord Śiva; Prahlāda; My incarnations like Matsya, Kūrma and Varāha; My unlimited all-auspicious activities, which yield piety to he who hears them; the sun; the moon; fire; the mantra oṁkāra; the Absolute Truth; the total material energy; the cows and brāhmaṇas; devotional service; the wives of Soma and Kaśyapa, who are all daughters of King Dakṣa; the rivers Ganges, Sarasvatī, Nandā and Yamunā [Kālindī]; the elephant Airāvata; Dhruva Mahārāja; the seven ṛṣis; and the pious human beings.

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.

Remember the Lord With Full Attention

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead promises freedom from sinful reactions to those who rise early and concentrate with great attention on the subjects He names.

  2. 2

    These include His form, Gajendra’s form, the lake, Trikūṭa Mountain, and His abodes. He also names His ornaments, weapons, Garuḍa, and Śeṣa Nāga.

  3. 3

    The Lord includes His incarnations, His unlimited all-auspicious activities, His devotees, and devotional service among the subjects of remembrance. Hearing His activities yields piety.

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 4: Gajendra Returns to the Spiritual World

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In accordance with this curse, the King was born as an elephant, and he forgot all about his previous activities in devotional service. Nonetheless, in his birth as an elephant, when he was dangerously attacked by the crocodile, he remembered his past life in devotional service and remembered a prayer he had learned in that life.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. yethose who
  3. māmMe
  4. tvāmyou
  5. caalso
  6. saraḥlake
  7. caalso
  8. idamthis
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.4

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotees”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.4

    In this verse: “material”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.4

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What would help me give fuller attention to the Lord during early-morning remembrance?

Practice

Set aside one quiet minute today to attentively remember the Lord’s form and His all-auspicious activities named in this passage.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

Live this todayRemember the Lord With Full AttentionThis 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 8.4.17-24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.