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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 13: Dhṛtarāṣṭra Quits Home
1.13.191.13.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.13.20

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 1.13.18inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

येन चैवाभिपन्नोऽयं प्राणै: प्रियतमैरपि ।

जन: सद्यो वियुज्येत किमुतान्यैर्धनादिभि: ॥ २० ॥

yena caivābhipanno ’yaṁ

prāṇaiḥ priyatamair api

janaḥ sadyo viyujyeta

kim utānyair dhanādibhiḥ

Translation

Whoever is under the influence of supreme kāla [eternal time] must surrender his most dear life, and what to speak of other things, such as wealth, honor, children, land and home.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Time Takes Even Our Dearest Possessions

  1. 1

    Under the influence of eternal time, everyone must surrender even their most dear life. Wealth, honor, children, land and home cannot remain theirs forever.

  2. 2

    No powerful living being within the universe can overcome time. Important plans and influential positions do not provide protection from it.

  3. 3

    Even in daily life, things come and go without our control. We must tolerate many changes that we cannot prevent.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore, the conclusion is that there is no powerful living being within the universe who can overcome the influence of time.
  • Many poets have written verses lamenting the influence of time.
  • Many devastations have taken place over the universes due to the influence of time, and no one could check them by any means.

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

Bereavement → Renunciation. The worldly support system recedes and attachment is exposed.

Chapters 13–15 of Canto 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra departs; Kṛṣṇa disappears; Pāṇḍavas retire. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 13: Dhṛtarāṣṭra Quits Home

Vidura warns of inevitable death; Dhṛtarāṣṭra leaves home, and Yudhiṣṭhira finds his elders absent.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yenapulled by such time
  2. caand
  3. evacertainly
  4. abhipannaḥovertaken
  5. ayamthis
  6. prāṇaiḥwith life
  7. priya-tamaiḥwhich is most dear to everyone
  8. apieven though
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “wealth”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “children”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “surrender”

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

Which temporary possession or position do you rely on most for security?

Practice

When one small, unavoidable change occurs today, pause and practice tolerating it without complaint.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTime Takes Even Our Dearest PossessionsThis 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 1.13.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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