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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 5: The Demigods Appeal to the Lord for Protection
8.5.19-208.5.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.5.21

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 8.5.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अहं भवो यूयमथोऽसुरादयो

मनुष्यतिर्यग्द्रुमघर्मजातय: ।

यस्यावतारांशकलाविसर्जिता

व्रजाम सर्वे शरणं तमव्ययम् ॥ २१ ॥

ahaṁ bhavo yūyam atho ’surādayo

manuṣya-tiryag-druma-gharma-jātayaḥ

yasyāvatārāṁśa-kalā-visarjitā

vrajāma sarve śaraṇaṁ tam avyayam

Translation

Lord Brahmā said: I, Lord Śiva, all of you demigods, the demons, the living entities born of perspiration, the living beings born of eggs, the trees and plants sprouting from the earth, and the living entities born from embryos — all come from the Supreme Lord, from His incarnation of rajo-guṇa [Lord Brahmā, the guṇa-avatāra] and from the great sages [ṛṣis] who are part of me. Let us therefore go to the Supreme Lord and take shelter of His lotus feet.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Shelters All Life

  1. 1

    Living beings appear through different kinds of birth, including embryos, perspiration, eggs and seeds.

  2. 2

    All living entities ultimately come from the Supreme Lord through His guṇa-avatāra and the great sages.

  3. 3

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the shelter of all living entities. Lord Brahmā therefore urges everyone to take shelter of His lotus feet.

Key points from the purport
  • Some creatures are born from embryos, some from perspiration, and some from seeds.
  • Ultimately, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the shelter of all living entities.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Danger and ambition → Divine rescue and surprise. Cooperation, rivalry and revelation alternate rapidly.

Chapters 5–12 of Canto 8: Churning the ocean, poison and nectar. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 5: The Demigods Appeal to the Lord for Protection

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Among the demigods were the Bhūtarayas, and among the seven ṛṣis were Hiraṇyaromā, Vedaśirā and Ūrdhvabāhu. The ṛṣi known as Śubhra, by his wife, Vikuṇṭhā, gave birth to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vaikuṇṭha.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ahamI
  2. bhavaḥLord Śiva
  3. yūyamall of you demigods
  4. athoas well as
  5. asura-ādayaḥdemons and others
  6. manuṣyathe human beings
  7. tiryakthe animals
  8. drumathe trees and plants
3

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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 8.5

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

How does knowing that all living beings share the same ultimate shelter affect your outlook?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer asking for shelter at the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Shelters All LifeThis 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 8.5.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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