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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
1.15.81.15.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.15.9

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Arjunasince 1.15.5inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

यत्तेजसा नृपशिरोऽङ्‌घ्रिमहन्मखार्थम्

आर्योऽनुजस्तव गजायुतसत्त्ववीर्य: ।

तेनाहृता: प्रमथनाथमखाय भूपा

यन्मोचितास्तदनयन्बलिमध्वरे ते ॥ ९ ॥

yat-tejasā nṛpa-śiro-’ṅghrim ahan makhārtham

āryo ’nujas tava gajāyuta-sattva-vīryaḥ

tenāhṛtāḥ pramatha-nātha-makhāya bhūpā

yan-mocitās tad-anayan balim adhvare te

Translation

Your respectable younger brother, who possesses the strength of ten thousand elephants, killed, by His grace, Jarāsandha, whose feet were worshiped by many kings. These kings had been brought for sacrifice in Jarāsandha’s Mahābhairava-yajña, but they were thus released. Later they paid tribute to Your Majesty.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Grace and Devotion Beyond Charity

  1. 1

    Jarāsandha never refused charity to a brāhmaṇa and performed many sacrifices. Yet these acts did not place him on a par with devotional service.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa wanted Jarāsandha killed while sparing his military men. He therefore went with Bhīma and Arjuna to arrange a fight with Jarāsandha alone.

  3. 3

    By Kṛṣṇa’s guidance and grace, Bhīma killed Jarāsandha and released the imprisoned kings. Feeling obliged to the Pāṇḍavas, those kings later paid tribute to Yudhiṣṭhira.

Key points from the purport
  • Jarāsandha was a very powerful king of Magadha, and the history of his birth and activities is also very interesting.
  • The she-demon expressed her desire that the child be named after her, and thus the child was surnamed Jarāsandha, or one who was joined by Jarā, the she-demon.
  • Jarāsandha was a relative of Kaṁsa, the maternal uncle of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore after Kaṁsa’s death King Jarāsandha became a great enemy of Kṛṣṇa, and there were many fights between Jarāsandha and 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 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. yatwhose
  2. tejasāby influence
  3. nṛpa-śiraḥ-aṅghrimone whose feet are adored by the heads of kings
  4. ahankilled
  5. makha-arthamfor the sacrifice
  6. āryaḥrespectable
  7. anujaḥyounger brother
  8. tavayour
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshiped”, “devotional service”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.15

    In this verse: “kings”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.15

    In this verse: “grace”

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

Are you treating good deeds as a substitute for devotional service, or as something that should accompany it?

Practice

Set aside a brief moment today specifically for devotional service, rather than counting another good deed as its substitute.

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 1.15's connections

Live this todayGrace and Devotion Beyond CharityThis 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 1.15.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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