1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter

Canto

Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

8.5.28 8.5.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.5.29

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

य एकवर्णं तमस: परं त-

दलोकमव्यक्तमनन्तपारम् ।

आसांचकारोपसुपर्णमेन-

मुपासते योगरथेन धीरा: ॥ २९ ॥

ya eka-varṇaṁ tamasaḥ paraṁ tad

alokam avyaktam ananta-pāram

āsāṁ cakāropasuparṇam enam

upāsate yoga-rathena dhīrāḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in pure goodness [śuddha-sattva], and therefore He is eka-varṇa — the oṁkāra [praṇava]. Because the Lord is beyond the cosmic manifestation, which is considered to be darkness, He is not visible to material eyes. Nonetheless, He is not separated from us by time or space, but is present everywhere. Seated on His carrier, Garuḍa, He is worshiped by means of mystical yogic power by those who have achieved freedom from agitation. Let us all offer our respectful obeisances unto Him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Goodness Reveals the Supreme Lord

1
Material goodness brings knowledge, passion mixes knowledge with ignorance, and ignorance brings darkness. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in pure goodness, untouched by passion and ignorance.
2
Kṛṣṇa can appear on the vasudeva platform, where goodness is undisturbed by the other modes. Those dominated by the three material modes cannot see Him, although He is present everywhere.
3
One must become dhīra, undisturbed by material agitation, and practice control of the senses. On the transcendental platform of pure goodness, one can see the Supreme Lord, to whom Brahmā offers obeisances.

Key points from the purport

In this material world, the three modes of material nature — goodness, passion and ignorance — prevail.
Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead is beyond darkness and passion.
Because the Lord is situated beyond the three modes of material nature, He is unseen by those who are dominated by these three modes.

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· 1

The purport of SB 8.5.29 quotesSB 4.3.23

Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. In this material world, the three modes of material nature — goodness, passion and ignorance — prevail.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.5

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yaḥthe Supreme Personality of Godhead who
eka-varṇamabsolute, situated in pure goodness
tamasaḥto the darkness of the material world
paramtranscendental
tatthat
alokamwho cannot be seen
avyaktamnot manifested
ananta-pāramunlimited, beyond the measurement of material time and space

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
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: “worshiped”
Viraha · Longing in separation
Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 8.5
In this verse: “separated”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which sense most often agitates me and distracts me from worshiping the Lord?

Practice

Put aside one sensory distraction for a minute, sit quietly, and offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Lord.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 4.3.23

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

Live this todayPure Goodness Reveals the Supreme 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 8.5.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories