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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 16: How Parīkṣit Received the Age of Kali
1.16.41.16.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.16.5

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śaunaka Ṛṣisince 1.16.5inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

शौनक उवाच

कस्य हेतोर्निजग्राह कलिं दिग्विजये नृप: ।

नृदेवचिह्नधृक्‍शूद्रकोऽसौ गां य: पदाहनत् ।

तत्कथ्यतां महाभाग यदि कृष्णकथाश्रयम् ॥ ५ ॥

śaunaka uvāca

kasya hetor nijagrāha

kaliṁ digvijaye nṛpaḥ

nṛdeva-cihna-dhṛk śūdra-

ko ’sau gāṁ yaḥ padāhanat

tat kathyatāṁ mahā-bhāga

yadi kṛṣṇa-kathāśrayam

Translation

Śaunaka Ṛṣi inquired: Why did Mahārāja Parīkṣit simply punish him, since he was the lowest of the śūdras, having dressed as a king and having struck a cow on the leg? Please describe all these incidents if they relate to the topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Makes Topics Worth Hearing

  1. 1

    Śaunaka and the ṛṣis were astonished that Mahārāja Parīkṣit had only punished the offender. They asked to hear the incident if it related to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    The Bhāgavatam discusses politics, economics, sociology and cultural affairs in relation to Kṛṣṇa. That relationship makes these subjects worth hearing.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is the purifying ingredient in all matters. Topics otherwise affected by the three material qualities become purified through their connection with Him.

Key points from the purport
  • Śaunaka and the ṛṣis were astonished to hear that the pious Mahārāja Parīkṣit simply punished the culprit and did not kill him.
  • Anyway, although hearing about a śūdraka who was a cheat and insulter of a cow was not very interesting to the great ṛṣis, they nevertheless wanted to hear about it to see if the event had any connection with Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • They were simply interested in the topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa, for anything that is dovetailed with the narration of Kṛṣṇa is worth hearing.

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. śaunakaḥ uvācaŚaunaka Ṛṣi said
  2. kasyafor what
  3. hetoḥreason
  4. nijagrāhasufficiently punished
  5. kalimthe master of the Age of Kali
  6. digvijayeduring the time of his world tour
  7. nṛpaḥthe King
  8. nṛ-devaroyal person
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.16

    In this verse: “king”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.16

    In this verse: “inquired”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 1.16

    In this verse: “purifying”

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

What draws my attention most: a topic's excitement or its connection with Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Reread this verse and identify what makes Śaunaka's inquiry centered on Kṛṣṇa.

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 · quoted in 1 more lecture. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 1 other lecture

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Makes Topics Worth HearingThis 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 1.16.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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