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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 16: How Parīkṣit Received the Age of Kali
1.16.161.16.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.16.17

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.16.10inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

तस्यैवं वर्तमानस्य पूर्वेषां वृत्तिमन्वहम् ।

नातिदूरे किलाश्चर्यं यदासीत् तन्निबोध मे ॥ १७ ॥

tasyaivaṁ vartamānasya

pūrveṣāṁ vṛttim anvaham

nātidūre kilāścaryaṁ

yad āsīt tan nibodha me

Translation

Now you may hear from me of what happened while Mahārāja Parīkṣit was passing his days hearing of the good occupations of his forefathers and being absorbed in thought of them.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear and Reflect on Good Engagements

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Parīkṣit spent his days hearing about the good occupations of his forefathers.

  2. 2

    He did not merely hear these accounts; he remained absorbed in thought of them.

  3. 3

    The speaker now invites the listeners to hear what happened during this time. The verse marks a transition in the account.

How it feels

Moral alarm → Resolve. The king's duty is tested in a deteriorating age.

Chapters 16–17 of Canto 1: Parīkṣit confronts Kali. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 16: How Parīkṣit Received the Age of Kali

Parīkṣit rules as a devotee while the personality of religion and mother earth discuss their distress.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasyaof Mahārāja Parīkṣit
  2. evamthus
  3. vartamānasyaremaining absorbed in such thought
  4. pūrveṣāmof his forefathers
  5. vṛttimgood engagement
  6. anvahamday after day
  7. nanot
  8. ati-dūrefar off
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.16

    In this verse: “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

Do I give myself time to reflect on the good engagements I hear about?

Practice

Pause for one minute after reading this verse and reflect on Parīkṣit’s habit of attentive hearing.

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 todayHear and Reflect on Good EngagementsThis 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 1.16.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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