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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
1.17.241.17.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.17.25

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Kingsince 1.17.22inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

इदानीं धर्म पादस्ते सत्यं निर्वर्तयेद्यत: ।

तं जिघृक्षत्यधर्मोऽयमनृतेनैधित: कलि: ॥ २५ ॥

idānīṁ dharma pādas te

satyaṁ nirvartayed yataḥ

taṁ jighṛkṣaty adharmo ’yam

anṛtenaidhitaḥ kaliḥ

Translation

You are now standing on one leg only, which is your truthfulness, and you are somehow or other hobbling along. But quarrel personified [Kali], flourishing by deceit, is also trying to destroy that leg.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Protect Truthfulness and Cleanse the Mind

  1. 1

    Religion rests on austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness, not merely on man-made formulas. These principles should be taught and practiced from childhood.

  2. 2

    Austerity means voluntarily accepting discomfort for spiritual realization. Cleanliness includes the mind, whose accumulated dust is cleansed by glorifying the Supreme Lord.

  3. 3

    Truthfulness is religion’s remaining leg, and Kali seeks to destroy it through deceit. Reviving bhāgavata-dharma can save human civilization from these evils.

Key points from the purport
  • The principles of religion do not stand on some dogmas or man-made formulas, but they stand on four primary regulative observances, namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness.
  • The resultant action of human civilization in the Age of Kali is dissatisfaction, so everyone is anxious to get peace of mind.
  • By pride, either artificial or real, the resultant action of austerity is spoiled; by too much affection for female association, cleanliness is spoiled; by too much addiction to intoxication, mercy is spoiled; and by too much lying propaganda, truthfulness is spoiled.

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 1.17.25 quotesBG 17.5

Fastings which are meant not for self-realization but for some other purposes are condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā (17.5-6).

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. idānīmat the present moment
  2. dharmaO personality of religion
  3. pādaḥleg
  4. teof you
  5. satyamtruthfulness
  6. nirvartayethobbling along somehow or other
  7. yataḥwhereby
  8. tamthat
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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

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

    In this verse: “religion”, “principles”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “cleansed”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “glorifying”

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

Does my speech protect truthfulness, or do I sometimes weaken it for convenience?

Practice

Spend two minutes glorifying the Supreme Lord, remembering that the mind needs cleansing as well as the body.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayProtect Truthfulness and Cleanse the MindThis 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 1.17.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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