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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
1.14.431.15.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.14.44

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhirasince 1.14.25inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

कच्चित् प्रेष्ठतमेनाथ हृदयेनात्मबन्धुना ।

शून्योऽस्मि रहितो नित्यं मन्यसे तेऽन्यथा न रुक् ॥ ४४ ॥

kaccit preṣṭhatamenātha

hṛdayenātma-bandhunā

śūnyo ’smi rahito nityaṁ

manyase te ’nyathā na ruk

Translation

Or is it that you are feeling empty for all time because you might have lost your most intimate friend, Lord Kṛṣṇa? O my brother Arjuna, I can think of no other reason for your becoming so dejected.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Arjuna’s Dejection Points to Separation from Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira asks whether Arjuna feels empty because he has lost his most intimate friend, Lord Kṛṣṇa. He can think of no other reason for such dejection.

  2. 2

    Yudhiṣṭhira’s questions about the world situation rested on his suspicion that Lord Kṛṣṇa had disappeared from the world’s vision. Arjuna’s acute dejection now led him to disclose that concern.

  3. 3

    Although still doubtful, Yudhiṣṭhira felt obliged to ask Arjuna frankly. His inquiry was based on Śrī Nārada’s indication.

Key points from the purport
  • All the inquisitiveness of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira about the world situation was already conjectured by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira on the basis of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s disappearance from the vision of the world, and this was now disclosed by him because of the acute dejection of Arjuna, which could not have been possible otherwise.
  • So even though he was doubtful about it, he was obliged to inquire frankly from Arjuna on the basis of Śrī Nārada’s indication.
  • Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

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. preṣṭha-tamenaunto the most dear one
  3. athamy brother Arjuna
  4. hṛdayenamost intimate
  5. ātma-bandhunāown friend Lord Kṛṣṇa
  6. śūnyaḥvoid
  7. asmiI am
  8. rahitaḥhaving lost
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 1.14

    In this verse: “friend”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.14

    In this verse: “inquiry”

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

What does Arjuna’s deep dejection reveal to me about his closeness to Lord Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Reread the translation today and spend a quiet moment remembering Lord Kṛṣṇa as Arjuna’s most intimate friend.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayArjuna’s Dejection Points to Separation from KṛṣṇaThis 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.

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