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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
1.12.211.12.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.12.22

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The learned brāhmaṇassince 1.12.19inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

मृगेन्द्र इव विक्रान्तो निषेव्यो हिमवानिव ।

तितिक्षुर्वसुधेवासौ सहिष्णु: पितराविव ॥ २२ ॥

mṛgendra iva vikrānto

niṣevyo himavān iva

titikṣur vasudhevāsau

sahiṣṇuḥ pitarāv iva

Translation

This child will be as strong as a lion, and as worthy a shelter as the Himālaya Mountains. He will be forbearing like the earth, and as tolerant as his parents.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Strength Joined With Shelter and Tolerance

  1. 1

    An ideal ruler should be a lamb at home and a lion in pursuing an enemy. Parīkṣit was foretold to have this strength in perfection.

  2. 2

    The Himālaya Mountains offer shelter and the necessities of life to both materialists and spiritualists. Parīkṣit would similarly be worthy of taking shelter of.

  3. 3

    The earth bears disturbances like a mother excusing her child. An ideal king should show such forbearance and the tolerance of parents.

Key points from the purport
  • One is compared to the lion when one is very strong in chasing an enemy.
  • One should be a lamb at home and a lion in the chase.
  • In the modern age the people have begun to detonate atomic weapons on the surface of the earth, and still the earth is forbearing to the inhabitants, like a mother who excuses a little child.

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. mṛgendraḥthe lion
  2. ivalike
  3. vikrāntaḥpowerful
  4. niṣevyaḥworthy of taking shelter
  5. himavānthe Himālaya Mountains
  6. ivalike
  7. titikṣuḥforbearance
  8. vasudhā ivalike the earth
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “child”, “mother”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “king”, “ruler”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “shelter”

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 combine firmness with gentleness toward those who depend on me?

Practice

Respond patiently to one small disturbance today, remembering the earth’s forbearance.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayStrength Joined With Shelter and ToleranceThis 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 1.12.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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