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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 17: Punishment and Reward of Kali
1.17.181.17.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.17.19

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The personality of religionsince 1.17.17inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

केचिद् विकल्पवसना आहुरात्मानमात्मन: ।

दैवमन्येऽपरे कर्म स्वभावमपरे प्रभुम् ॥ १९ ॥

kecid vikalpa-vasanā

āhur ātmānam ātmanaḥ

daivam anye ’pare karma

svabhāvam apare prabhum

Translation

Some of the philosophers, who deny all sorts of duality, declare that one’s own self is responsible for his personal happiness and distress. Others say that superhuman powers are responsible, while yet others say that activity is responsible, and the gross materialists maintain that nature is the ultimate cause.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Ultimate Cause

  1. 1

    Different philosophers attribute happiness and distress to the self, superhuman powers, activity, or material nature. The purport examines these differing explanations.

  2. 2

    The mind can be one’s friend or enemy. Rather than becoming entangled through material attachments, one should free the mind from them.

  3. 3

    The Lord declares Himself the source of impersonal Brahman. Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is therefore the ultimate cause of all causes.

Key points from the purport
  • As referred to above, philosophers like Jaimini and his followers establish that fruitive activity is the root cause of all distress and happiness, and that even if there is a superior authority, some superhuman powerful God or gods, He or they are also under the influence of fruitive activity because they reward result according to one’s action.
  • They say that action is not independent because action is performed by some performer; therefore, the performer himself is the cause of his own happiness or distress.
  • According to them, combinations of material elements are the causes of material happiness and distress, and disintegration of matter is the cause of freedom from all material pangs.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 1.17.19 quotesBG 6.5

In the Bhagavad-gītā (6.5) also it is confirmed that by one’s mind, freed from material affection, one can deliver himself from the sufferings of material pangs.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 17: Punishment and Reward of Kali

Parīkṣit protects a cow and bull from abuse and restricts Kali to five places.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kecitsome of them
  2. vikalpa-vasanāḥthose who deny all kinds of duality
  3. āhuḥdeclare
  4. ātmānamown self
  5. ātmanaḥof the self
  6. daivamsuperhuman
  7. anyeothers
  8. aparesomeone else
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “materialists”, “attachments”, “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “philosophers”

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 my mind helping me loosen material attachments or strengthening them?

Practice

Notice one material attachment occupying your mind today, and pause to remember Kṛṣṇa as the ultimate cause of all causes.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Ultimate CauseThis 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 1.17.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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