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
1.13.501.13.52

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.13.51

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 1.13.41inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

धृतराष्ट्र: सह भ्रात्रा गान्धार्या च स्वभार्यया ।

दक्षिणेन हिमवत ऋषीणामाश्रमं गत: ॥ ५१ ॥

dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ saha bhrātrā

gāndhāryā ca sva-bhāryayā

dakṣiṇena himavata

ṛṣīṇām āśramaṁ gataḥ

Translation

O King, your uncle Dhṛtarāṣṭra, his brother Vidura and his wife Gāndhārī have gone to the southern side of the Himālaya Mountains, where there are shelters of the great sages.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Reassurance for a Mourning King

  1. 1

    Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Vidura and Gāndhārī had gone to the southern side of the Himālaya Mountains. Their destination was a place where great sages had shelters.

  2. 2

    Nārada first spoke philosophically to pacify the mourning Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. He then gave information about the King's uncle.

  3. 3

    Nārada could foresee Dhṛtarāṣṭra's future movements. He began describing them to help relieve the King's sorrow.

Key points from the purport
  • To pacify the mourning Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Nārada first of all spoke from the philosophical point of view, and then he began to describe the future movements of his uncle, which he could see by his foreseeing powers, and thus began to describe as follows.

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. dhṛtarāṣṭraḥDhṛtarāṣṭra
  2. sahaalong with
  3. bhrātrāhis brother Vidura
  4. gāndhāryāGāndhārī also
  5. caand
  6. sva-bhāryayāhis own wife
  7. dakṣiṇenaby the southern side
  8. himavataḥof the Himālaya Mountains
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “king”, “king's”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

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

    In this verse: “shelters”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “philosophically”

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

When I am worried about someone, how can thoughtful understanding help steady my feelings?

Practice

Reread Nārada's reassurance and take a quiet moment to reflect on it before dwelling on a worry about someone.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReassurance for a Mourning KingThis 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 1.13.51? 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