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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
8.5.328.5.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.5.33

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

अम्भस्तु यद्रेत उदारवीर्यं

सिध्यन्ति जीवन्त्युत वर्धमाना: ।

लोकायतोऽथाखिललोकपाला:

प्रसीदतां न: स महाविभूति: ॥ ३३ ॥

ambhas tu yad-reta udāra-vīryaṁ

sidhyanti jīvanty uta vardhamānāḥ

lokā yato ’thākhila-loka-pālāḥ

prasīdatāṁ naḥ sa mahā-vibhūtiḥ

Translation

The entire cosmic manifestation has emerged from water, and it is because of water that all living entities endure, live and develop. This water is nothing but the semen of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, may the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has such great potency, be pleased with us.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Water Reveals the Lord's Sustaining Grace

  1. 1

    The translation describes water as the semen of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, expressing His great potency.

  2. 2

    Living entities emerge from water and depend on it to live and grow. Without water, all life would cease.

  3. 3

    The purport teaches that the abundance of water throughout the world is available by the Lord's grace.

Key points from the purport
  • Rather, the water is sometimes explained to be the perspiration and sometimes the semen of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • It is from water that all living entities emerge, and because of water they live and grow.
  • Therefore, by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we have so much water all over the world.

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:

The wife of Vairāja, whose name was Devasambhūti, gave birth to Ajita, an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This Ajita, taking the shape of a tortoise and holding the mountain known as Mandara on His back, churned the ocean and produced nectar for the demigods.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ambhaḥthe masses of water seen on this planet or on others
  2. tubut
  3. yat-retaḥHis semen
  4. udāra-vīryamso powerful
  5. sidhyantiare generated
  6. jīvantilive
  7. utaindeed
  8. vardhamānāḥflourish
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 8.5

    In this verse: “grace”

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 can my daily dependence on water remind me of the Lord's grace?

Practice

When drinking water today, pause to thank the Supreme Personality of Godhead for sustaining life.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWater Reveals the Lord's Sustaining GraceThis 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 8.5.33? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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