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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
8.5.268.5.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.5.27

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 8.5.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

विपश्चितं प्राणमनोधियात्मना-

मर्थेन्द्रियाभासमनिद्रमव्रणम् ।

छायातपौ यत्र न गृध्रपक्षौ

तमक्षरं खं त्रियुगं व्रजामहे ॥ २७ ॥

vipaścitaṁ prāṇa-mano-dhiyātmanām

arthendriyābhāsam anidram avraṇam

chāyātapau yatra na gṛdhra-pakṣau

tam akṣaraṁ khaṁ tri-yugaṁ vrajāmahe

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead directly and indirectly knows how everything, including the living force, mind and intelligence, is working under His control. He is the illuminator of everything and has no ignorance. He does not have a material body subject to the reactions of previous activities, and He is free from the ignorance of partiality and materialistic education. I therefore take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, who is eternal, all-pervading and as great as the sky and who appears with six opulences in three yugas [Satya, Tretā and Dvāpara].

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Shelter of the Always-Awake Lord

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord directly and indirectly knows every activity within His creation. He knows the living entities, their senses, minds and intelligence.

  2. 2

    The Lord is always awake, witnessing our activities and giving direction. Unlike us, He has no material body formed by past deeds and is never covered by ignorance.

  3. 3

    In Kali-yuga, Kṛṣṇa appears as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, acting as a devotee rather than declaring Himself the Supreme Lord. Intelligent persons worship Him by saṅkīrtana-yajña, the congregational chanting of His names.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord is the Supreme Soul, and He knows everything about the living entities and their senses.
  • Our bodies are formed as a result of our past deeds (karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa), but the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not have a material body, and therefore He has no avidyā, ignorance.
  • In this incarnation, the Supreme Lord declares Himself not to be the Supreme Lord, and therefore He is known as Tri-yuga.

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· 2

The purport of SB 8.5.27 quotesBG 15.15

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: it is the Lord who gives intelligence to everyone and who causes everyone to forget.

The purport of SB 8.5.27 quotesSB 11.5.32

Still, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32) recommends: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, whose complexion is not black like that of Kṛṣṇa but is golden (tviṣākṛṣṇam), is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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:

His power and activities are mentioned in the Third Canto. The sixth Manu was Cākṣuṣa, the son of Cakṣu Manu.
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. vipaścitamunto the omniscient
  2. prāṇahow the living force is working
  3. manaḥhow the mind is working
  4. dhiyahow the intelligence is working
  5. ātmanāmof all living entities
  6. arthathe objects of the senses
  7. indriyathe senses
  8. ābhāsamknowledge
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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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

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

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • 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: “devotee”, “worship”

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 might remembering that the Lord is always aware of me deepen my willingness to take shelter of Him?

Practice

Take one minute today to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa as an act of worship.

5

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 11.5.32

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

Live this todayTake Shelter of the Always-Awake LordThis 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 8.5.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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