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 14: The Disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa
1.14.171.14.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.14.18

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhirasince 1.14.6inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

नद्यो नदाश्च क्षुभिता: सरांसि च मनांसि च ।

न ज्वलत्यग्निराज्येन कालोऽयं किं विधास्यति ॥ १८ ॥

nadyo nadāś ca kṣubhitāḥ

sarāṁsi ca manāṁsi ca

na jvalaty agnir ājyena

kālo ’yaṁ kiṁ vidhāsyati

Translation

Rivers, tributaries, ponds, reservoirs and the mind are all perturbed. Butter no longer ignites fire. What is this extraordinary time? What is going to happen?

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

An Extraordinary Time Raises Troubling Questions

  1. 1

    Rivers, tributaries, ponds and reservoirs are all perturbed.

  2. 2

    The mind is also perturbed, and butter no longer ignites fire.

  3. 3

    The speaker asks what this extraordinary time means and what will happen. His questions express uncertainty rather than a definite prediction.

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 14: The Disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa

Yudhiṣṭhira observes disturbing omens and questions Arjuna about Kṛṣṇa and their relatives.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nadyaḥrivers
  2. nadāḥ caand the tributaries
  3. kṣubhitāḥall perturbed
  4. sarāṁsireservoirs of water
  5. caand
  6. manāṁsithe mind
  7. caalso
  8. nadoes not
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

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 does the speaker express uncertainty when both his surroundings and his mind are disturbed?

Practice

Read the two closing questions aloud, pausing to notice the uncertainty they express.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAn Extraordinary Time Raises Troubling QuestionsThis 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 1.14.18? 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