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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
1.13.71.13.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.13.8

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhirasince 1.13.8inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

युधिष्ठिर उवाच

अपि स्मरथ नो युष्मत्पक्षच्छायासमेधितान् ।

विपद्गणाद्विषाग्‍न्‍यादेर्मोचिता यत्समातृका: ॥ ८ ॥

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca

api smaratha no yuṣmat-

pakṣa-cchāyā-samedhitān

vipad-gaṇād viṣāgnyāder

mocitā yat samātṛkāḥ

Translation

Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said: My uncle, do you remember how you always protected us, along with our mother, from all sorts of calamities? Your partiality, like the wings of a bird, saved us from poisoning and arson.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Affection Protects and Corrects

  1. 1

    Vidura carefully protected the Pāṇḍavas and their widowed mother from calamities. Yudhiṣṭhira compared his protection to the shelter of a bird’s wings.

  2. 2

    Although Vidura faithfully served Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he opposed his political ambitions for his own sons. He criticized harmful policies and chastised Duryodhana for plotting against his cousins.

  3. 3

    Vidura’s warnings helped the Pāṇḍavas escape the planned burning of their residence. His affection included both protecting those in danger and trying to restrain those causing harm.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus he was, so to speak, partial to the Pāṇḍavas, preferring them to the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, although both of them were equally affectionate in his ordinary eyes.
  • When the Pāṇḍavas were going there in the presence of all the members of the royal family, Vidura tactfully gave instructions to the Pāṇḍavas about the future plan of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
  • Therefore, he was always partial to the Pāṇḍavas, just as a bird protects its eggs by its wing.

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. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvācaMahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said
  2. apiwhether
  3. smarathayou remember
  4. naḥus
  5. yuṣmatfrom you
  6. pakṣapartiality towards us like the wings of a bird
  7. chāyāprotection
  8. samedhitānwe who were brought up by you
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 1.13

    In this verse: “protected”, “saved”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “mother”

  • 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

Can I care for someone without supporting their harmful choices?

Practice

Thank someone today for a specific time they protected or wisely warned you.

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 todayAffection Protects and CorrectsThis 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 1.13.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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