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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 · Text 8.5.23

Who is speaking and story frame

अयं च तस्य स्थितिपालनक्षण:

सत्त्वं जुषाणस्य भवाय देहिनाम् ।

तस्माद् व्रजाम: शरणं जगद्गुरुं

स्वानां स नो धास्यति शं सुरप्रिय: ॥ २३ ॥

ayaṁ ca tasya sthiti-pālana-kṣaṇaḥ

sattvaṁ juṣāṇasya bhavāya dehinām

tasmād vrajāmaḥ śaraṇaṁ jagad-guruṁ

svānāṁ sa no dhāsyati śaṁ sura-priyaḥ

Translation

Now is the time to invoke the mode of goodness of the living entities who have accepted material bodies. The mode of goodness is meant to establish the Supreme Lord’s rule, which will maintain the existence of the creation. Therefore, this is the opportune moment to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because He is naturally very kind and dear to the demigods, He will certainly bestow good fortune upon us.

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 Through Chanting

  1. 1

    Material creation, maintenance and destruction proceed through rajo-guṇa, sattva-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. The verse calls for taking shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to establish His rule and maintain creation.

  2. 2

    Surrender to Kṛṣṇa brings complete purification. Kṛṣṇa Himself appeared as a devotee, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, to teach the world how to surrender to Him.

  3. 3

    Chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra cleanses the heart, including the mistaken identification of the body as the self. This devotional path offers freedom from material bondage and a return home, back to Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Since the beginning of Kali-yuga, however, people have practically been unable to surrender to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore, after some five thousand years, Kṛṣṇa came again as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu just to teach the entire world how to surrender unto Him, unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus be purified.
  • Of these 427,000 years, the 10,000 years of the saṅkīrtana movement inaugurated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu 500 years ago provide the opportunity for the fallen souls of Kali-yuga to take to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and thus be delivered from the clutches of material existence and return home, back to Godhead.
  • Our duty, therefore, is to follow the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and preach the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world very sincerely.

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· 4

The purport of SB 8.5.23 quotesBG 18.66

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.66): “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.

The purport of SB 8.5.23 quotesSB 12.3.51

This is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.51): This Age of Kali is full of unlimited faults.

The purport of SB 8.5.23 quotesBG 2.13

The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.”

The purport of SB 8.5.23 quotesBG 8.16

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (8.16): “From the highest planet in this material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place.”

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

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:

This Supreme Personality of Godhead manifested a Vaikuṇṭha planet at the request of Ramādevī. His power and activities are mentioned in the Third Canto.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.5
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ayamthis period
  2. caalso
  3. tasyaof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. sthiti-pālana-kṣaṇaḥthe time for maintenance, or for establishing His rule
  5. sattvamthe mode of goodness
  6. juṣāṇasyaaccepting (now, without waiting)
  7. bhavāyafor the increased development or establishment
  8. dehināmof all living entities who accept material bodies
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

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

    In this verse: “shelter”, “surrender”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.5

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.5

    In this verse: “devotional”, “devotee”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could you make chanting a sincere step toward surrender to Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Set aside a few quiet minutes today to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra attentively.

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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 12.3.51

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.5's connections

Live this todayTake Shelter of Kṛṣṇa Through ChantingThis 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 8.5.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.