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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 15: The Pāṇḍavas Retire Timely
1.15.301.15.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.15.31

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.15.28inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

विशोको ब्रह्मसम्पत्त्या सञ्छिन्नद्वैतसंशय: ।

लीनप्रकृतिनैर्गुण्यादलिङ्गत्वादसम्भव: ॥ ३१ ॥

viśoko brahma-sampattyā

sañchinna-dvaita-saṁśayaḥ

līna-prakṛti-nairguṇyād

aliṅgatvād asambhavaḥ

Translation

Because of his possessing spiritual assets, the doubts of duality were completely cut off. Thus he was freed from the three modes of material nature and placed in transcendence. There was no longer any chance of his becoming entangled in birth and death, for he was freed from material form.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Reveals the Lord’s Presence

  1. 1

    Mistaking the material body for the self produces bewildering ideas of “myself” and “mine.” The Bhagavad-gītā teaches that everything, including ourselves, is a manifestation of the potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Arjuna realized that the Lord remained present through His instructions, form, pastimes and qualities. By hearing, chanting, remembering and worshiping, one can associate with the Lord even in this life.

  3. 3

    Devotional service makes possible the spiritual vision needed to perceive the Lord’s presence. By His grace, the pure devotee rises beyond the three modes of material nature and is freed from material entanglement, grief and anxiety.

Key points from the purport
  • As soon as Arjuna took up the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā, expert as he was, he could at once eradicate the material conception of Lord Kṛṣṇa, his eternal friend.
  • Lord Caitanya says that simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can at once wash off the dust on the mirror of pure consciousness, and as soon as the dust is removed, one is at once freed from all material conditions.
  • Arjuna had attained this stage long before on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and when he apparently felt the absence of the Lord, he at once took shelter of the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā, and thus again he was placed in his original position.

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 15: The Pāṇḍavas Retire Timely

Arjuna grieves over Kṛṣṇa’s departure, and the Pāṇḍavas retire, fixing their minds on His lotus feet.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. viśokaḥfree from bereavement
  2. brahma-sampattyāby possession of spiritual assets
  3. sañchinnabeing completely cut off
  4. dvaita-saṁśayaḥfrom the doubts of relativity
  5. līnamerged in
  6. prakṛtimaterial nature
  7. nairguṇyātdue to being in transcendence
  8. aliṅgatvātbecause of being devoid of a material body
  9. asambhavaḥfree from birth and death
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.15

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”, “worshiping”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.15

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.15

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

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 might remembering that everything belongs to the Lord soften my sense of “myself” and “mine”?

Practice

Spend a few minutes hearing or reading about Lord Kṛṣṇa today, remembering that He is present through His instructions.

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 todayDevotional Service Reveals the Lord’s PresenceThis 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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