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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
1.16.231.16.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.16.24

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.16.10inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

इदं ममाचक्ष्व तवाधिमूलं

वसुन्धरे येन विकर्शितासि ।

कालेन वा ते बलिनां बलीयसा सुरार्चितं

किं हृतमम्ब सौभगम् ॥ २४ ॥

idaṁ mamācakṣva tavādhi-mūlaṁ

vasundhare yena vikarśitāsi

kālena vā te balināṁ balīyasā

surārcitaṁ kiṁ hṛtam amba saubhagam

Translation

Mother, you are the reservoir of all riches. Please inform me of the root cause of your tribulations by which you have been reduced to such a weak state. I think that the powerful influence of time, which conquers the most powerful, might have forcibly taken away all your fortune, which was adored even by the demigods.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Our Riches Depend on the Lord

  1. 1

    By the Lord’s grace, every planet is fully equipped for its inhabitants’ maintenance. Earth’s riches are therefore gifts of His grace.

  2. 2

    When the Lord descends, the earth becomes enriched with opulences that even the inhabitants of heaven adore.

  3. 3

    By His will, the Lord can change the whole earth at once. No one should consider himself self-sufficient or independent of Him.

Key points from the purport
  • By the grace of the Lord, each and every planet is created fully equipped.
  • So not only is this earth fully equipped with all the riches for the maintenance of its inhabitants, but also, when the Lord descends to the earth the whole earth becomes so enriched with all kinds of opulences that even the denizens of heaven worship it with all affection.
  • Therefore no one should consider himself to be self-sufficient or independent of the Lord.

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. idamthis
  2. mamaunto me
  3. ācakṣvakindly inform
  4. tavayour
  5. ādhimūlamthe root cause of your tribulations
  6. vasundhareO reservoir of all riches
  7. yenaby which
  8. vikarśitā asireduced to much weakness
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 1.16

    In this verse: “mother”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.16

    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

Where do I tend to forget my dependence on the Lord?

Practice

Before one meal today, pause and thank the Lord for the resources that maintain your life.

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 todayOur Riches Depend on the LordThis 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 1.16.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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