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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
8.5.458.5.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.5.46

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

तैस्तै: स्वेच्छाभूतै रूपै: काले काले स्वयं विभो ।

कर्म दुर्विषहं यन्नो भगवांस्तत् करोति हि ॥ ४६ ॥

tais taiḥ svecchā-bhūtai rūpaiḥ

kāle kāle svayaṁ vibho

karma durviṣahaṁ yan no

bhagavāṁs tat karoti hi

Translation

O Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, by Your sweet will You appear in various incarnations, millennium after millennium, and act wonderfully, performing uncommon activities that would be impossible for us.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize Incarnations Through Scripture and Activities

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in different incarnations by His own sweet will. His appearances are facts, not imagination.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s forms are innumerable, like the waves of the sea. Yet someone’s claim to be an incarnation is not enough; it must agree with the descriptions in the śāstras.

  3. 3

    An incarnation’s wonderful activities are proof of His identity. Devotees are eager to see the genuine Lord, who appears and disappears by His own will.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus it is not an imagination but a fact that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His sweet will, appears in different incarnations, such as Matsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, Paraśurāma, Rāmacandra, Balarāma, Buddha and many other forms.
  • The incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be accepted in terms of the descriptions found in the śāstras.
  • It is only by the personal sweet will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that He appears and disappears, and only fortunate devotees can expect to see Him face to face.

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 8.5.46 quotesBG 4.7

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.7): “Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself.”

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:

When the demigods were deprived of their heavenly kingdom, they went to the assembly house of Lord Brahmā and informed Lord Brahmā of what had happened. Then Brahmā, along with all the demigods, went to the shore of the Ocean of Milk and offered prayers to Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.
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. taiḥby such appearances
  2. taiḥby such incarnations
  3. sva-icchā-bhūtaiḥall appearing by Your personal sweet will
  4. rūpaiḥby factual forms
  5. kāle kālein different millenniums
  6. svayampersonally
  7. vibhoO Supreme
  8. karmaactivities
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 8.5

    In this verse: “sweet”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.5

    In this verse: “devotees”

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

Why is scriptural guidance important when considering a claim that someone is an incarnation?

Practice

Choose one incarnation named in this purport and reread the teaching that His appearance depends on the Lord’s sweet will.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRecognize Incarnations Through Scripture and ActivitiesThis 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 8.5.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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