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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
1.17.211.17.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.17.22

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Kingsince 1.17.22inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

राजोवाच

धर्मं ब्रवीषि धर्मज्ञ धर्मोऽसि वृषरूपधृक् ।

यदधर्मकृत: स्थानं सूचकस्यापि तद्भवेत् ॥ २२ ॥

rājovāca

dharmaṁ bravīṣi dharma-jña

dharmo ’si vṛṣa-rūpa-dhṛk

yad adharma-kṛtaḥ sthānaṁ

sūcakasyāpi tad bhavet

Translation

The King said: O you, who are in the form of a bull! You know the truth of religion, and you are speaking according to the principle that the destination intended for the perpetrator of irreligious acts is also intended for one who identifies the perpetrator. You are no other than the personality of religion.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seeing the Lord’s Grace in Reverses

  1. 1

    A devotee understands that neither benefit nor harm can come without the Lord’s sanction. He therefore does not regard another person as the independent cause.

  2. 2

    The devotee accepts both favorable and unfavorable circumstances as God’s grace. By that grace, he tolerates reverses without anger toward those who cause trouble.

  3. 3

    The bull’s refusal to place blame revealed his understanding of the finer principles of religion. Mahārāja Parīkṣit therefore recognized him as the personality of religion.

Key points from the purport
  • Mahārāja Parīkṣit observed this, and therefore he could understand that the bull was no other than the personality of religion himself.
  • The cow and bull never placed any complaint before the King for being tortured by the personality of Kali, although everyone lodges such complaints before the state authorities.
  • The extraordinary behavior of the bull made the King conclude that the bull was certainly the personality of religion, for no one else could understand the finer intricacies of the codes of religion.

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 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. rājā uvācathe King said
  2. dharmamreligion
  3. bravīṣias you speak
  4. dharma-jñaO one who knows the codes of religion
  5. dharmaḥthe personality of religion
  6. asiyou are
  7. vṛṣa-rūpa-dhṛkin the disguise of a bull
  8. yatwhatever
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “religion”, “principles”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “king”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “grace”, “favorable”

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

How might remembering the Lord’s sanction change my response to a setback?

Practice

Recall one small setback today and pause to seek the Lord’s grace rather than dwell on blame.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeeing the Lord’s Grace in ReversesThis 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 1.17.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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