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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

1.13.38 1.13.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.13.39

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhirasince 1.13.39inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

युधिष्ठिर उवाच

नाहं वेद गतिं पित्रोर्भगवन् क्‍व

गतावित: ।

अम्बा वा हतपुत्रार्ता क्‍व गता च तपस्विनी ॥ ३९ ॥

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca

nāhaṁ veda gatiṁ pitror

bhagavan kva gatāv itaḥ

ambā vā hata-putrārtā

kva gatā ca tapasvinī

Translation

Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said: O godly personality, I do not know where my two uncles have gone. Nor can I find my ascetic aunt who is griefstricken by the loss of all her sons.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Compassion and Steadiness Through Suffering

1
As a good soul and devotee of the Lord, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira remained conscious of his aunt’s great loss and suffering.
2
An ascetic remains undisturbed by suffering, becoming strong and determined on the path of spiritual progress.
3
Queen Gāndhārī showed marvelous character in many trying situations. She was exemplary as a mother, wife and ascetic.

Key points from the purport

Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, as a good soul and devotee of the Lord, was always conscious of the great loss of his aunt and her sufferings as an ascetic.
An ascetic is never disturbed by all kinds of sufferings, and that makes him strong and determined on the path of spiritual progress.
She was an ideal woman as mother, wife and ascetic, and in the history of the world such character in a woman is rarely found.

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

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvācaMahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said
nado not
ahammyself
vedaknow it
gatimdeparture
pitroḥof the uncles
bhagavanO godly personality
kvawhere

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 1.13
In this verse: “devotee”
Karuṇā · Compassion
Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 1.13
In this verse: “suffering”
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 1.13
In this verse: “mother”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can you remain attentive to another person’s suffering while growing steadier in your own spiritual life?

Practice

Check in gently with someone facing difficulty, and give them your full attention.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCompassion and Steadiness Through SufferingThis 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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