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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
1.16.181.16.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.16.19

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

धर्म उवाच

कच्चिद्भद्रेऽनामयमात्मनस्ते

विच्छायासि म्‍लायतेषन्मुखेन ।

आलक्षये भवतीमन्तराधिं

दूरे बन्धुं शोचसि कञ्चनाम्ब ॥ १९ ॥

dharma uvāca

kaccid bhadre ’nāmayam ātmanas te

vicchāyāsi mlāyateṣan mukhena

ālakṣaye bhavatīm antarādhiṁ

dūre bandhuṁ śocasi kañcanāmba

Translation

Dharma [in the form of a bull] asked: Madam, are you not hale and hearty? Why are you covered with the shadow of grief? It appears by your face that you have become black. Are you suffering from some internal disease, or are you thinking of some relative who is away in a distant place?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize the Burden of Anxiety and Separation

  1. 1

    Dharma noticed the earth’s grief and asked about her health. He wondered whether she suffered from an internal disease or separation from someone dear.

  2. 2

    The purport describes people in the Age of Kali as burdened by ailments and anxiety. Their faces can reveal the condition of their minds.

  3. 3

    Earning a livelihood often separates family members. Disease, separation from loved ones and anxiety about maintaining one’s situation are important causes of unhappiness.

Key points from the purport
  • The people of the world in this Age of Kali are always full of anxieties.
  • Everyone feels the absence of his relative who is away from home.
  • These are but some important factors which make the people of this age always unhappy.

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

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. dharmaḥ uvācaDharma inquired
  2. kaccitwhether
  3. bhadremadam
  4. anāmayamquite hale and hearty
  5. ātmanaḥself
  6. teunto you
  7. vicchāyā asiappear to be covered with the shadow of grief
  8. mlāyatāwhich darkens
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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 1.16

    In this verse: “dharma”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 1.16

    In this verse: “suffering”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 1.16

    In this verse: “loved”

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

Is someone I know carrying the pain of illness, separation or worry about their livelihood?

Practice

Contact one relative who lives far away and gently ask how they are feeling.

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.

2 lectures given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayRecognize the Burden of Anxiety and SeparationThis 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 1.16.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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