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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 7: Lord Śiva Saves the Universe by Drinking Poison
8.7.308.7.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.7.31

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The prajāpatissince 8.7.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न ते गिरित्राखिललोकपाल-

विरिञ्चवैकुण्ठसुरेन्द्रगम्यम् ।

ज्योति: परं यत्र रजस्तमश्च

सत्त्वं न यद् ब्रह्म निरस्तभेदम् ॥ ३१ ॥

na te giri-trākhila-loka-pāla-

viriñca-vaikuṇṭha-surendra-gamyam

jyotiḥ paraṁ yatra rajas tamaś ca

sattvaṁ na yad brahma nirasta-bhedam

Translation

O Lord Girīśa, since the impersonal Brahman effulgence is transcendental to the material modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, the various directors of this material world certainly cannot appreciate it or even know where it is. It is not understandable even to Lord Brahmā, Lord Viṣṇu or the King of heaven, Mahendra.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Brahman Is the Supreme Lord’s Effulgence

  1. 1

    The brahmajyoti is the effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is beyond the material modes of goodness, passion and ignorance.

  2. 2

    The impersonal feature is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa’s energy. The purport directs worship toward Govinda, whose transcendental form is the source of this effulgence.

  3. 3

    Lord Viṣṇu is omniscient. His not needing to attend to everything in His all-pervading expansion does not mean that His knowledge is limited.

Key points from the purport
  • The impersonal Brahman is unknown even to the other directors of the material creation, including Lord Brahmā, Lord Indra and even Lord Viṣṇu.
  • Lord Viṣṇu is omniscient, but He does not need to understand what is going on in His all-pervading expansion.
  • Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that although everything is an expansion of Him (mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam), He does not need to take care of everything (na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ), since there are various directors like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Indra.

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 8.7.31 quotesBG 9.4

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4), mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā: “In My impersonal feature I pervade this entire universe.”

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 7: Lord Śiva Saves the Universe by Drinking Poison

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lord Śiva is called Āśutoṣa because he is very pleased if one is a devotee. Therefore he easily agreed to drink all the poison generated by the churning.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. teof Your Lordship
  3. giri-traO King of the mountains
  4. akhila-loka-pālaall the directors of departments of material activities
  5. viriñcaLord Brahmā
  6. vaikuṇṭhaLord Viṣṇu
  7. sura-indrathe King of heaven
  8. gamyamthey can understand
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 8.7

    In this verse: “understandable”, “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.7

    In this verse: “material”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.7

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that Brahman is Kṛṣṇa’s effulgence shape my understanding of Him?

Practice

Offer a short prayer to Govinda, remembering Him as the personal source of the Brahman effulgence.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBrahman Is the Supreme Lord’s EffulgenceThis 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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