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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 8.6.3-7

Who is speaking and story frame

विरिञ्चो भगवान्‍द‍ृष्ट्वा सह शर्वेण तां तनुम् ।

स्वच्छां मरकतश्यामां कञ्जगर्भारुणेक्षणाम् ॥ ३ ॥

तप्तहेमावदातेन लसत्कौशेयवाससा ।

प्रसन्नचारुसर्वाङ्गीं सुमुखीं सुन्दरभ्रुवम् ॥ ४ ॥

महामणिकिरीटेन केयूराभ्यां च भूषिताम् ।

कर्णाभरणनिर्भातकपोलश्रीमुखाम्बुजाम् ॥ ५ ॥

काञ्चीकलापवलयहारनूपुरशोभिताम् ।

कौस्तुभाभरणां लक्ष्मीं बिभ्रतीं वनमालिनीम् ॥ ६ ॥

सुदर्शनादिभि: स्वास्त्रैर्मूर्तिमद्भ‍िरुपासिताम् ।

तुष्टाव देवप्रवर: सशर्व: पुरुषं परम् ।

सर्वामरगणै: साकं सर्वाङ्गैरवनिं गतै: ॥ ७ ॥

viriñco bhagavān dṛṣṭvā

saha śarveṇa tāṁ tanum

svacchāṁ marakata-śyāmāṁ

kañja-garbhāruṇekṣaṇām

tapta-hemāvadātena

lasat-kauśeya-vāsasā

prasanna-cāru-sarvāṅgīṁ

sumukhīṁ sundara-bhruvam

mahā-maṇi-kirīṭena

keyūrābhyāṁ ca bhūṣitām

karṇābharaṇa-nirbhāta-

kapola-śrī-mukhāmbujām

kāñcīkalāpa-valaya-

hāra-nūpura-śobhitām

kaustubhābharaṇāṁ lakṣmīṁ

bibhratīṁ vana-mālinīm

sudarśanādibhiḥ svāstrair

mūrtimadbhir upāsitām

tuṣṭāva deva-pravaraḥ

saśarvaḥ puruṣaṁ param

sarvāmara-gaṇaiḥ sākaṁ

sarvāṅgair avaniṁ gataiḥ

Translation

Lord Brahmā, along with Lord Śiva, saw the crystal-clear personal beauty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose blackish body resembles a marakata gem, whose eyes are reddish like the depths of a lotus, who is dressed with garments that are yellow like molten gold, and whose entire body is attractively decorated. They saw His beautiful, smiling, lotuslike face, crowned by a helmet bedecked with valuable jewels. The Lord has attractive eyebrows, and His cheeks are adorned with earrings. Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva saw the belt on the Lord’s waist, the bangles on His arms, the necklace on His chest, and the ankle bells on His legs. The Lord is bedecked with flower garlands, His neck is decorated with the Kaustubha gem, and He carries with Him the goddess of fortune and His personal weapons, like His disc and club. When Lord Brahmā, along with Lord Śiva and the other demigods, thus saw the form of the Lord, they all immediately fell to the ground, offering their obeisances.

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.

The Lord’s Beauty Inspires Obeisances

  1. 1

    Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva saw the personal beauty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His blackish body resembled a marakata gem, and His garments were yellow like molten gold.

  2. 2

    His smiling, lotuslike face and entire body were beautifully decorated. He wore the Kaustubha gem and carried the goddess of fortune and His personal weapons.

  3. 3

    Seeing the Lord’s form, Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and the other demigods immediately fell to the ground and offered obeisances.

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 6: The Demigods and Demons Declare a Truce

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After some time, however, when Brahmā could see the Lord, he, along with Lord Śiva, began to offer the Lord prayers. Lord Brahmā said: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being beyond birth and death, is eternal.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. viriñcaḥLord Brahmā
  2. bhagavānwho is also addressed as bhagavān because of his powerful position
  3. dṛṣṭvāby seeing
  4. sahawith
  5. śarveṇaLord Śiva
  6. tāmunto the Supreme Lord
  7. tanumHis transcendental form
  8. svacchāmwithout material contamination
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

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

Which feature of the Lord’s form draws your attention toward Him?

Practice

Remember one feature of the Lord described here and offer Him respectful obeisances.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Beauty Inspires ObeisancesThis 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 8.6.3-7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.