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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 8.5.35

Who is speaking and story frame

अग्निर्मुखं यस्य तु जातवेदा

जात: क्रियाकाण्डनिमित्तजन्मा ।

अन्त:समुद्रेऽनुपचन्स्वधातून्

प्रसीदतां न: स महाविभूति: ॥ ३५ ॥

agnir mukhaṁ yasya tu jāta-vedā

jātaḥ kriyā-kāṇḍa-nimitta-janmā

antaḥ-samudre ’nupacan sva-dhātūn

prasīdatāṁ naḥ sa mahā-vibhūtiḥ

Translation

Fire, which is born for the sake of accepting oblations in ritualistic ceremonies, is the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Fire exists within the depths of the ocean to produce wealth, and fire is also present in the abdomen to digest food and produce various secretions for the maintenance of the body. May that supremely powerful Personality of Godhead be pleased with us.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Fire Serves the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Fire is described as the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is born to accept oblations in ritualistic ceremonies.

  2. 2

    Fire exists in the depths of the ocean to produce wealth.

  3. 3

    Fire within the abdomen digests food and produces secretions that maintain the body. The prayer asks that the supremely powerful Lord be pleased with us.

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. agniḥfire
  2. mukhamthe mouth through which the Supreme Personality of Godhead eats
  3. yasyaof whom
  4. tubut
  5. jāta-vedāḥthe producer of wealth or of all necessities of life
  6. jātaḥproduced
  7. kriyā-kāṇḍaritualistic ceremonies
  8. nimittafor the sake of
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “wealth”

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 remembering the Lord while eating deepen my gratitude for the body's maintenance?

Practice

At one meal today, remember the digestive fire described here and offer a short prayer for the Lord's pleasure.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFire Serves 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 8.5.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.