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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 18: Mahārāja Parīkṣit Cursed by a Brāhmaṇa Boy
1.18.131.18.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.18.14

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The good sagessince 1.18.11inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

को नाम तृप्येद् रसवित्कथायां

महत्तमैकान्तपरायणस्य ।

नान्तं गुणानामगुणस्य जग्मु-

र्योगेश्वरा ये भवपाद्ममुख्या: ॥ १४ ॥

ko nāma tṛpyed rasavit kathāyāṁ

mahattamaikānta-parāyaṇasya

nāntaṁ guṇānām aguṇasya jagmur

yogeśvarā ye bhava-pādma-mukhyāḥ

Translation

The Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa [Govinda], is the exclusive shelter for all great living beings, and His transcendental attributes cannot even be measured by such masters of mystic powers as Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā. Can anyone who is expert in relishing nectar [rasa] ever be fully satiated by hearing topics about Him?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of Unlimited Pleasure

  1. 1

    Śiva and Brahmā possess great mystic powers, but they are not supreme. Govinda, Lord Kṛṣṇa, is the supreme powerful, and even they cannot measure His attributes.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa is the exclusive shelter of the greatest living beings and the reservoir of all enjoyment. Loving service to Him gives unlimited transcendental pleasure.

  3. 3

    The Lord and His name, qualities, and pastimes are unlimited. Hearing about Him increases the purified audience’s desire to hear, rather than bringing the satiation found in material affairs.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā are two chiefs of the demigods.
  • He is the Transcendence, and His transcendental attributes cannot be measured even by such powerful īśvaras as Śiva and Brahmā.
  • And why is the greatest of all the living beings so much attached to the transcendental topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa?

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

Remorse and urgency → Surrender and inquiry. Seven days to live become the impetus for complete spiritual hearing.

Chapters 18–19 of Canto 1: Parīkṣit is cursed and welcomes Śukadeva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 18: Mahārāja Parīkṣit Cursed by a Brāhmaṇa Boy

A sage’s son curses Parīkṣit, but his father condemns the punishment of the saintly king.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kaḥwho is he
  2. nāmaspecifically
  3. tṛpyetget full satisfaction
  4. rasa-vitexpert in relishing mellow nectar
  5. kathāyāmin the topics of
  6. mahat-tamathe greatest amongst the living beings
  7. ekāntaexclusively
  8. parāyaṇasyaof one who is the shelter of
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.18

    In this verse: “hearing”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 1.18

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.18

    In this verse: “material”

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

Am I approaching hearing about Kṛṣṇa as something to finish, or as an opportunity for growing loving service?

Practice

Reread one passage about Kṛṣṇa today, giving yourself a few quiet minutes to hear it attentively rather than rushing onward.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Source of Unlimited PleasureThis 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 1.18.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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