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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 13: Dhṛtarāṣṭra Quits Home
1.13.411.13.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.13.42

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 1.13.41inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

यथा गावो नसि प्रोतास्तन्त्यां बद्धाश्च दामभि: ।

वाक्तन्त्यां नामभिर्बद्धा वहन्ति बलिमीशितु: ॥ ४२ ॥

yathā gāvo nasi protās

tantyāṁ baddhāś ca dāmabhiḥ

vāk-tantyāṁ nāmabhir baddhā

vahanti balim īśituḥ

Translation

As a cow, bound through the nose by a long rope, is conditioned, so also human beings are bound by different Vedic injunctions and are conditioned to obey the orders of the Supreme.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

True Freedom Is Loving Service

  1. 1

    Although living beings think themselves independent, no one is free from the Lord’s laws. The common principle of religion is to obey the Supreme God.

  2. 2

    Material laws made by imperfect people require changes, but the laws of the all-perfect Personality of Godhead are perfect. Following His instructions gradually frees conditioned beings from material entanglement.

  3. 3

    The living being is eternally the Supreme Lord’s servant. Wanting to lord over others prolongs bondage, while surrender and transcendental loving service bring true freedom.

Key points from the purport
  • All living beings in the material world have taken up the risk of conditioned life by their own selection and are thus entrapped by the laws of material nature.
  • But instead of becoming free from the clutches of māyā, or illusion, foolish human beings become bound up by different nomenclatures, being designated as brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, Hindus, Mohammedans, Indians, Europeans, Americans, Chinese and many others, and thus they carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord under the influence of respective scriptural or legislative injunctions.
  • The codes of religion, scriptural injunctions, are made by liberated representatives of God in consideration of different conditions of living, and by carrying out the orders of the Lord, the conditioned living beings gradually become free from the clutches of material existence.

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. yathāas much as
  2. gāvaḥcow
  3. nasiby the nose
  4. protāḥstrung
  5. tantyāmby the thread
  6. baddhāḥbound by
  7. caalso
  8. dāmabhiḥby ropes
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

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

    In this verse: “free from”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “religion”

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

Where might your desire to control others be getting in the way of a spirit of service?

Practice

In one interaction today, consciously give up the urge to dominate and choose a helpful act of service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTrue Freedom Is Loving ServiceThis 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 1.13.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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