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

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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
1.12.81.12.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.12.9

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.12.4inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

श्रीमद्दीर्घचतुर्बाहुं तप्तकाञ्चनकुण्डलम् ।

क्षतजाक्षं गदापाणिमात्मन: सर्वतोदिशम् ।

परिभ्रमन्तमुल्काभां भ्रामयन्तं गदां मुहु: ॥ ९ ॥

śrīmad-dīrgha-catur-bāhuṁ

tapta-kāñcana-kuṇḍalam

kṣatajākṣaṁ gadā-pāṇim

ātmanaḥ sarvato diśam

paribhramantam ulkābhāṁ

bhrāmayantaṁ gadāṁ muhuḥ

Translation

The Lord was enriched with four hands, earrings of molten gold and eyes blood red with fury. As He loitered about, His club constantly encircled Him like a shooting star.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Unlimited Lord Makes Himself Approachable

  1. 1

    The Lord appeared with four hands, golden earrings and eyes red with fury, His club moving around Him like a shooting star. All-pervading as Paramātmā, He entered Uttarā’s womb to save His beloved devotee.

  2. 2

    The Lord can become greater than thousands of universes or smaller than an atom while remaining equally all-powerful. Mercifully, He appeared in a form suited to Parīkṣit’s vision.

  3. 3

    The Lord also accepts the form of arcā-vigraha, the worshipable Deity, to receive His devotees’ service. This approachable form is all-spiritual and must never be considered material.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus the Lord is all-pervading by His inconceivable potency, and thus He entered the womb of Uttarā to save His beloved devotee Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
  • The Lord is all-powerful, and therefore He can both save and kill as He likes.
  • The arcā-vigraha is therefore an all-spiritual form of the Lord to be perceived by the material devotees; such an arcā-vigraha of the Lord is never to be considered material.

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 1.12.9 quotesBG 9.31

In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.31) the Lord assured everyone that His devotees are never to be vanquished.

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. śrīmatenriched
  2. dīrghaprolonged
  3. catuḥ-bāhumfour-handed
  4. tapta-kāñcanamolten gold
  5. kuṇḍalamearrings
  6. kṣataja-akṣameyes with the redness of blood
  7. gadā-pāṇimhand with a club
  8. ātmanaḥown
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”, “worshipable”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “mercifully”

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 does understanding the Lord’s mercy change the way I regard His worshipable Deity?

Practice

Offer a respectful prayer today, thanking the Lord for making Himself approachable so that devotees can serve Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Unlimited Lord Makes Himself ApproachableThis 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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