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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
1.12.51.12.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.12.6

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.12.4inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

किं ते कामा: सुरस्पार्हा मुकुन्दमनसो द्विजा: ।

अधिजह्रुर्मुदं राज्ञ: क्षुधितस्य यथेतरे ॥ ६ ॥

kiṁ te kāmāḥ sura-spārhā

mukunda-manaso dvijāḥ

adhijahrur mudaṁ rājñaḥ

kṣudhitasya yathetare

Translation

O brāhmaṇas, the opulence of the King was so enchanting that the denizens of heaven aspired for it. But because he was absorbed in the service of the Lord, nothing could satisfy him except the Lord’s service.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Only Loving Service Satisfies Spiritual Hunger

  1. 1

    The King possessed opulence desired even by the residents of heaven. Yet only the Lord’s service could satisfy him.

  2. 2

    The living being is constitutionally a servant, not the master of the material world. Spiritual knowledge helps one recognize service to the senses and beg instead for service to the Lord.

  3. 3

    Even abundant material comforts cannot satisfy spiritual hunger. That hunger is satisfied in association with Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and loving service is the satisfaction of the liberated living being.

Key points from the purport
  • When one is materially engrossed, he is satisfied only by sense gratification, but when one is liberated from the conditions of the material modes, he is satisfied only by rendering loving service for the satisfaction of the Lord.
  • When the living being is hungry for spiritual satisfaction, he is misrepresented by material hunger.
  • These can be obtained in the association of the Supreme Spirit, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and therefore one who has them cannot be attracted by the so-called food, shelter, defense and sense gratification of the material world, even if they are relished by the denizens of the heavenly planets.

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 1.12.6 quotesBG 8.16

Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.16) it is said by the Lord that even in the topmost planet of the universe, namely the Brahmaloka, where the duration of life is multiplied by millions of years by earth calculation, one cannot satisfy his hunger.

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

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. kimwhat for
  2. teall those
  3. kāmāḥobjects of sense enjoyment
  4. suraof the denizens of heaven
  5. spārhāḥaspirations
  6. mukunda-manasaḥof one who is already God conscious
  7. dvijāḥO brāhmaṇas
  8. adhijahruḥcould satisfy
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “king”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

When I feel dissatisfied, do I seek more comforts or an opportunity to serve the Lord?

Practice

Pause before one optional pleasure today and offer a brief prayer asking for the Lord’s service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOnly Loving Service Satisfies Spiritual HungerThis 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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