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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 17: Punishment and Reward of Kali
1.17.41.17.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.17.5

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.17.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

कस्त्वं मच्छरणे लोके बलाद्धंस्यबलान् बली ।

नरदेवोऽसि वेशेण नटवत्कर्मणाद्विज: ॥ ५ ॥

kas tvaṁ mac-charaṇe loke

balād dhaṁsy abalān balī

nara-devo ’si veṣeṇa

naṭavat karmaṇā ’dvijaḥ

Translation

Oh, who are you? You appear to be strong and yet you dare kill, within my protection, those who are helpless! By your dress you pose yourself to be a godly man [king], but by your deeds you are opposing the principles of the twice-born kṣatriyas.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Spiritual Culture Must Lead to Protection

  1. 1

    Being twice-born means receiving a second birth through spiritual initiation from a bona fide ācārya. This is a renewal through spiritual culture, not merely birth from parents.

  2. 2

    A kṣatriya's duty is to protect the helpless and chastise wrongdoers. The king represents God by carrying out these responsibilities.

  3. 3

    Administrators who allow helpless animals to be killed represent God in name only. Their dress and office cannot replace spiritual culture and protective conduct.

Key points from the purport
  • So a kṣatriya is also twice-born like a brāhmaṇa, and his duty is to give protection to the helpless.
  • The kṣatriya king is considered to be the representative of God to give protection to the helpless and chastise the miscreants.
  • Therefore the people’s government, by the people who are not twice-born, must be a government of Kali in which everyone is unhappy.

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. kaḥwho are
  2. tvamyou
  3. matmy
  4. śaraṇeunder protection
  5. lokein this world
  6. balātby force
  7. haṁsikilling
  8. abalānthose who are helpless
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: “principles”, “duty”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “king”, “administrators”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

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

    In this verse: “protection”, “protect”

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 does my spiritual learning influence the way I treat the helpless?

Practice

Offer one practical act of help today to a person or animal unable to manage without assistance.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySpiritual Culture Must Lead to ProtectionThis 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 1.17.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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