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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.
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Canto 1 · Chapter 12: Birth of Emperor Parīkṣit
1.12.291.12.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.12.30

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

स एष लोके विख्यात: परीक्षिदिति यत्प्रभु: ।

पूर्वं द‍ृष्टमनुध्यायन् परीक्षेत नरेष्विह ॥ ३० ॥

sa eṣa loke vikhyātaḥ

parīkṣid iti yat prabhuḥ

pūrvaṁ dṛṣṭam anudhyāyan

parīkṣeta nareṣv iha

Translation

So his son would become famous in the world as Parīkṣit [examiner] because he would come to examine all human beings in his search after that personality whom he saw before his birth. Thus he would come to constantly contemplate Him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remembering the Lord Begins With an Impression

  1. 1

    Parīkṣit saw the Lord in his mother's womb and continued to contemplate Him. A firmly fixed impression of the Lord's transcendental form cannot be forgotten.

  2. 2

    He examined everyone, searching for the personality he had seen, but no one was equally attractive. Through this search, he constantly served the Lord by remembrance.

  3. 3

    Impressions of the Lord received in early childhood can develop into lasting devotion. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how his father's encouragement of worship later developed into regulated devotional service.

Key points from the purport
  • Mahārāja Parīkṣit, fortunate as he was, got the impression of the Lord even in the womb of his mother, and thus his contemplation on the Lord was constantly with him.
  • But the Lord was constantly with him by such examination, and thus Mahārāja Parīkṣit was always engaged in the devotional service of the Lord by remembrance.
  • Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī remarks in this connection that every child, if given an impression of the Lord from his very childhood, certainly becomes a great devotee of the Lord like Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

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. saḥhe
  2. eṣaḥin this
  3. lokeworld
  4. vikhyātaḥfamous
  5. parīkṣitone who examines
  6. itithus
  7. yatwhat
  8. prabhuḥO my King
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: “mother's”, “father's”, “childhood”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “worship”

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

What impressions in my daily life help me remember the Lord?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute looking at a form of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, then recall Them once later today.

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 todayRemembering the Lord Begins With an ImpressionThis 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 1.12.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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