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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
1.17.31.17.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.17.4

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.17.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

पप्रच्छ रथमारूढ: कार्तस्वरपरिच्छदम् ।

मेघगम्भीरया वाचा समारोपितकार्मुक: ॥ ४ ॥

papraccha ratham ārūḍhaḥ

kārtasvara-paricchadam

megha-gambhīrayā vācā

samāropita-kārmukaḥ

Translation

Mahārāja Parīkṣit, well equipped with arrows and bow and seated on a gold-embossed chariot, spoke to him [the śūdra] with a deep voice sounding like thunder.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Actions Matter More Than Royal Appearance

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Parīkṣit addressed the wrongdoer with a voice like thunder. He was equipped with a bow and arrows and ready to exercise his authority.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that a strong administrative head can challenge the agents of Kali. Without effective protection, tranquillity is disrupted.

  3. 3

    Royal dress or style does not establish a ruler's worth. It is one's actions that count.

Key points from the purport
  • An administrative head or king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, with full majestic authority, well equipped with weapons to chastise miscreants, can challenge the agents of the Age of Kali.
  • And in the absence of such strong executive heads, there is always disruption of tranquillity.
  • The elected show-bottle executive head, as representative of a degraded public, cannot be equal with a strong king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

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. papracchainquired
  2. rathamchariot
  3. ārūḍhaḥseated on
  4. kārtasvaragold
  5. paricchadamembossed with
  6. meghacloud
  7. gambhīrayāexonerating
  8. vācāsound
  9. samāropitawell equipped
  10. kārmukaḥarrows and bow
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 1.17

    In this verse: “ruler's”, “administrative”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “protection”

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

Do my actions fulfill my responsibilities, or do I rely on appearances?

Practice

Complete one protective or caring duty today rather than merely promising to do it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayActions Matter More Than Royal AppearanceThis 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 1.17.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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