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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 14: The Disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa
1.14.411.14.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.14.42

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhirasince 1.14.25inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

कच्चित्त्वं नागमोऽगम्यां गम्यां वासत्कृतां स्त्रियम् ।

पराजितो वाथ भवान्नोत्तमैर्नासमै: पथि ॥ ४२ ॥

kaccit tvaṁ nāgamo ’gamyāṁ

gamyāṁ vāsat-kṛtāṁ striyam

parājito vātha bhavān

nottamair nāsamaiḥ pathi

Translation

Have you contacted a woman of impeachable character, or have you not properly treated a deserving woman? Or have you been defeated on the way by someone who is inferior or equal to you?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Respect Responsibilities in Relationships and Duty

  1. 1

    The purport describes relationships between men and women as governed by specific social conditions during the Pāṇḍavas’ time. Such relationships were not treated as unrestricted.

  2. 2

    Contact between man and woman is natural, but the purport emphasizes regulative principles to preserve social order. The King also asks whether Arjuna had improperly treated a deserving woman.

  3. 3

    For a kṣatriya, defeat by an equal or weaker opponent was considered disgraceful, unlike defeat by a superior. Arjuna’s defeat by Bhīṣmadeva was not an insult, and Lord Kṛṣṇa saved him from danger.

Key points from the purport
  • The higher-caste men, namely the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas, could accept a woman of the vaiśya or the śūdra community, but a man from the lower castes could not contact a woman of the higher caste.
  • Even a kṣatriya could not contact a woman of the brāhmaṇa caste.
  • Contact of a brāhmaṇa with a kṣatriya woman is uttama, but the contact of a kṣatriya with a brāhmaṇa woman is adhama and therefore condemned.

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 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. kaccitwhether
  2. tvamyourself
  3. nanot
  4. agamaḥdid contact
  5. agamyāmimpeachable
  6. gamyāmacceptable
  7. vāeither
  8. asat-kṛtāmimproperly treated
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.14

    In this verse: “king”, “governed”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 1.14

    In this verse: “principles”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 1.14

    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

Am I treating others respectfully while honoring my responsibilities in relationships?

Practice

Review one interaction today and correct any disrespectful words or behavior.

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 1.14's connections

Live this todayRespect Responsibilities in Relationships and DutyThis 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 1.14.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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