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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

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

8.5.33 8.5.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.5.34

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

सोमं मनो यस्य समामनन्ति

दिवौकसां यो बलमन्ध आयु: ।

ईशो नगानां प्रजन: प्रजानां

प्रसीदतां न: स महाविभूति: ॥ ३४ ॥

somaṁ mano yasya samāmananti

divaukasāṁ yo balam andha āyuḥ

īśo nagānāṁ prajanaḥ prajānāṁ

prasīdatāṁ naḥ sa mahā-vibhūtiḥ

Translation

Soma, the moon, is the source of food grains, strength and longevity for all the demigods. He is also the master of all vegetation and the source of generation for all living entities. As stated by learned scholars, the moon is the mind of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. May that Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all opulences, be pleased with us.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Moon's Nourishment Points to the Lord

1
Soma, the predominating deity of the moon, is the source of food grains and therefore of strength even for the demigods.
2
The purport describes moonshine as the vital force for all vegetation. The translation also describes Soma as a source of longevity and generation.
3
Learned scholars describe the moon as the mind of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The prayer seeks the pleasure of that Lord, the source of all opulences.

Key points from the purport

Soma, the predominating deity of the moon, is the source of food grains and therefore the source of strength even for the celestial beings, the demigods.
Since the moon is the source for our vegetation, how can the moon be a desert?
The moonshine is the vital force for all vegetation, and therefore we cannot possibly accept that the moon is a desert.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.5