1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
1.13.291.13.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.13.30

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

पतिं प्रयान्तं सुबलस्य पुत्री

पतिव्रता चानुजगाम साध्वी ।

हिमालयं न्यस्तदण्डप्रहर्षं

मनस्विनामिव सत्सम्प्रहार: ॥ ३० ॥

patiṁ prayāntaṁ subalasya putrī

pati-vratā cānujagāma sādhvī

himālayaṁ nyasta-daṇḍa-praharṣaṁ

manasvinām iva sat samprahāraḥ

Translation

The gentle and chaste Gāndhārī, who was the daughter of King Subala of Kandahar [or Gāndhāra], followed her husband, seeing that he was going to the Himālaya Mountains, which are the delight of those who have accepted the staff of the renounced order like fighters who have accepted a good lashing from the enemy.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Determination and Voluntary Support in Renunciation

  1. 1

    Gāndhārī voluntarily followed her husband, although she could have remained at home or at her father’s house. The purport presents her as a faithful and devoted wife.

  2. 2

    Dhṛtarāṣṭra was determined to face danger like a great warrior and was prepared to leave alone. Gāndhārī accompanied him at her own risk.

  3. 3

    In vānaprastha, a wife may remain as a voluntary servitor, but this is not permitted in sannyāsa. Vidura advised Dhṛtarāṣṭra to follow the dhīras because becoming a narottama was difficult for him at that stage.

Key points from the purport
  • Saubalinī, or Gāndhārī, daughter of King Subala and wife of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, was ideal as a wife devoted to her husband.
  • Instructions for the renounced order of life were imparted to Dhṛtarāṣṭra by Vidura, and Gāndhārī was by the side of her husband.
  • Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra did not deny his faithful wife, and she followed her husband at her own risk.

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. patimher husband
  2. prayāntamwhile leaving home
  3. subalasyaof King Subala
  4. putrīthe worthy daughter
  5. pati-vratādevoted to her husband
  6. caalso
  7. anujagāmafollowed
  8. sādhvīthe chaste
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “renounced”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “king”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “danger”

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 willing am I to support a loved one’s sincere spiritual commitment when it involves discomfort?

Practice

Offer one small, voluntary act of help to someone pursuing a spiritual commitment.

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 1.13's connections

Live this todayDetermination and Voluntary Support in RenunciationThis 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 1.13.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories