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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

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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
1.14.41.14.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.14.5

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.14.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

निमित्तान्यत्यरिष्टानि काले त्वनुगते नृणाम् ।

लोभाद्यधर्मप्रकृतिं द‍ृष्ट्वोवाचानुजं नृप: ॥ ५ ॥

nimittāny atyariṣṭāni

kāle tv anugate nṛṇām

lobhādy-adharma-prakṛtiṁ

dṛṣṭvovācānujaṁ nṛpaḥ

Translation

In course of time it came to pass that people in general became accustomed to greed, anger, pride, etc. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, observing all these omens, spoke to his younger brother.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Do Not Become Accustomed to Degradation

  1. 1

    People gradually became accustomed to greed, anger, pride and other irreligious habits.

  2. 2

    The pious Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was deeply disturbed by greed, anger, irreligiosity and hypocrisy spreading through society.

  3. 3

    Such symptoms had been unknown to the people of that time. Their appearance with Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel, was astonishing.

Key points from the purport
  • Such a pious king as Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira at once became perturbed when there were such inhuman symptoms as greed, anger, irreligiosity and hypocrisy rampant in society.
  • It appears from this statement that all these symptoms of degraded society were unknown to the people of the time, and it was astonishing for them to have experienced them with the advent of the Kali-yuga, or the age of quarrel.

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. nimittānicauses
  2. ativery serious
  3. ariṣṭānibad omens
  4. kālein course of time
  5. tubut
  6. anugatepassing away
  7. nṛṇāmof humanity at large
  8. lobha-ādisuch as greed
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 1.14

    In this verse: “pride”

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

Have I begun to treat any habit of greed, anger or hypocrisy as normal?

Practice

Notice one impulse of greed or anger today and pause rather than act on it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDo Not Become Accustomed to DegradationThis 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 1.14.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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