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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 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 9 · Chapter 5: Durvāsā Muni’s Life Spared

9.5.2 9.5.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.5.3

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Mahārāja Ambarīṣasince 9.5.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अम्बरीष उवाच

त्वमग्निर्भगवान् सूर्यस्त्वं सोमो ज्योतिषां पति: ।

त्वमापस्त्वं क्षितिर्व्योम वायुर्मात्रेन्द्रियाणि च ॥ ३ ॥

ambarīṣa uvāca

tvam agnir bhagavān sūryas

tvaṁ somo jyotiṣāṁ patiḥ

tvam āpas tvaṁ kṣitir vyoma

vāyur mātrendriyāṇi ca

Translation

Mahārāja Ambarīṣa said: O Sudarśana cakra, you are fire, you are the most powerful sun, and you are the moon, the master of all luminaries. You are water, earth and sky, you are the air, you are the five sense objects [sound, touch, form, taste and smell], and you are the senses also.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sudarśana’s Presence in Elements and Senses

1
Mahārāja Ambarīṣa addresses the Sudarśana cakra as fire, the most powerful sun, and the moon, the master of all luminaries.
2
He also addresses Sudarśana as water, earth, sky and air.
3
His prayer includes both the senses and their five objects: sound, touch, form, taste and smell.

How it feels

Peril and anger → Faith and mercy. The contrast between pride and steadiness becomes clear.

Chapters 4–5 of Canto 9: Ambarīṣa's devotion and Durvāsā's anger. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 5: Durvāsā Muni’s Life Spared

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, being naturally very humble and meek, felt shy and ashamed because Durvāsā Muni had fallen at his feet, and thus he began to offer prayers to the Sudarśana cakra just to save Durvāsā. What is this Sudarśana cakra?

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 9.5

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

ambarīṣaḥMahārāja Ambarīṣa
uvācasaid
tvamyou (are)
agniḥthe fire
bhagavānthe most powerful
sūryaḥthe sun
tvamyou (are)
somaḥthe moon

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this prayer broaden my understanding of Sudarśana?

Practice

Read this prayer slowly once, noticing its references to the elements and senses.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySudarśana’s Presence in Elements and SensesThis 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 9.5.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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