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

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Canto 1 · Creation · 19 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 1 · Chapter 12: Birth of Emperor Parīkṣit
1.12.151.12.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.12.16

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The brāhmaṇassince 1.12.16inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

दैवेनाप्रतिघातेन शुक्ले संस्थामुपेयुषि ।

रातो वोऽनुग्रहार्थाय विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना ॥ १६ ॥

daivenāpratighātena

śukle saṁsthām upeyuṣi

rāto vo ’nugrahārthāya

viṣṇunā prabhaviṣṇunā

Translation

The brāhmaṇas said: This spotless son has been restored by the all-powerful and all-pervasive Lord Viṣṇu, the Personality of Godhead, in order to oblige you. He was saved when he was doomed to be destroyed by an irresistible supernatural weapon.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Protects His Pure Devotee

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa saved Parīkṣit because he was a pure devotee and the only surviving male descendant of Puru. The Lord wanted pious kings to continue ruling as His representatives.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, and Viṣṇu is His plenary expansion. In His Viṣṇu feature, He performs all-pervasive activities of protection and annihilation.

  3. 3

    Pure devotees appear to execute the Lord’s mission of bringing conditioned souls back to Godhead. The all-powerful Lord counteracted the brahmāstra to protect His bona fide servant.

Key points from the purport
  • The child Parīkṣit was saved by the all-powerful and all-pervasive Viṣṇu (Lord Kṛṣṇa) for two reasons.
  • Lord Viṣṇu is the plenary expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • Child Parīkṣit is described here as spotlessly white because he is an unalloyed devotee of the Lord.

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

Longing → Joy and continuity. Departure and welcome coexist; Parīkṣit embodies continuity of grace.

Chapters 10–12 of Canto 1: Kṛṣṇa returns to Dvārakā; Parīkṣit is born. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 12: Birth of Emperor Parīkṣit

Parīkṣit’s protection in the womb is recalled, and learned brāhmaṇas predict his qualities at birth.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. daivenaby supernatural power
  2. apratighātenaby what is irresistible
  3. śukleunto the pure
  4. saṁsthāmdestruction
  5. upeyuṣihaving been enforced
  6. rātaḥrestored
  7. vaḥfor you
  8. anugraha-arthāyafor the sake of obliging
  9. viṣṇunāby the all-pervasive Lord
  10. prabhaviṣṇunāby the all-powerful
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “saved”, “protection”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “kings”

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

How can I respond to the Lord’s mercy by helping His mission rather than seeking only my own benefit?

Practice

Read a short passage of the transcendental literature today with the intention of learning how to serve the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 1.12's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Protects His Pure DevoteeThis 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 1.12.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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