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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

8.5.49 8.6.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.5.50

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

नमस्तुभ्यमनन्ताय दुर्वितर्क्यात्मकर्मणे ।

निर्गुणाय गुणेशाय सत्त्वस्थाय च साम्प्रतम् ॥ ५० ॥

namas tubhyam anantāya

durvitarkyātma-karmaṇe

nirguṇāya guṇeśāya

sattva-sthāya ca sāmpratam

Translation

My Lord, all obeisances unto You, who are eternal, beyond time’s limits of past, present and future. You are inconceivable in Your activities, You are the master of the three modes of material nature, and, being transcendental to all material qualities, You are free from material contamination. You are the controller of all three of the modes of nature, but at the present You are in favor of the quality of goodness. Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto You.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Controls Yet Transcends Material Nature

1
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternal, beyond past, present and future. Even Lord Brahmā, who knows past, present and future, cannot understand the Lord’s unlimited knowledge.
2
The Lord controls all three modes of material nature but remains free from their contamination. He personally takes charge of sattva-guṇa as Lord Viṣṇu and entrusts rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa to Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva.
3
Because Lord Viṣṇu had now taken charge of the activities of goodness, Lord Brahmā saw hope that the demigods would fulfill their desires despite harassment by the demons. He offered respectful obeisances to the Lord, whose activities are inconceivable.

Key points from the purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead controls the material activities manifested by the three modes of material nature.
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always transcendental to the material qualities (sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa), but nonetheless He is their controller.
Although Lord Brahmā knows past, present and future, he is unable to understand the unlimited knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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:

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.5

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

namaḥall obeisances
tubhyamunto You, my Lord
anantāyawho are everlasting, transcending the three phases of time (past, present and future)
durvitarkya-ātma-karmaṇeunto You, who perform inconceivable activities
nirguṇāyawhich are all transcendental, free from the contamination of material qualities
guṇa-īśāyaunto You, who control the three modes of material nature
sattva-sthāyawho are in favor of the material quality of goodness
caalso
sāmpratamat present

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: “favor”
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.5
In this verse: “material”
Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment
Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 8.5
In this verse: “free from”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can remembering that even Lord Brahmā cannot understand the Lord’s unlimited knowledge help me offer obeisances with humility?

Practice

Today, offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, remembering that He controls material nature yet remains untouched by it.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Controls Yet Transcends Material NatureThis 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.

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