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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
1.18.141.18.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.18.15

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The good sagessince 1.18.11inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

तन्नो भवान् वै भगवत्प्रधानो

महत्तमैकान्तपरायणस्य ।

हरेरुदारं चरितं विशुद्धं

शुश्रूषतां नो वितनोतु विद्वन् ॥ १५ ॥

tan no bhavān vai bhagavat-pradhāno

mahattamaikānta-parāyaṇasya

harer udāraṁ caritaṁ viśuddhaṁ

śuśrūṣatāṁ no vitanotu vidvan

Translation

O Sūta Gosvāmī, you are a learned and pure devotee of the Lord because the Personality of Godhead is your chief object of service. Therefore please describe to us the pastimes of the Lord, which are above all material conception, for we are anxious to receive such messages.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Hearing Requires Pure Motives

  1. 1

    A qualified speaker has Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the sole object of worship and service. A qualified audience is eager to hear about Him.

  2. 2

    A speaker seeking income and an audience seeking material benefits cannot derive real benefit from such discourses. Their motives leave the hearing contaminated by material qualities.

  3. 3

    The discussions between Sūta Gosvāmī and the sages had no motive for material gain. Both speaker and audience relished unlimited transcendental pleasure and could continue hearing and speaking.

Key points from the purport
  • The speaker on the transcendental activities of the Lord should have only one object of worship and service, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Professional speakers and a materially absorbed audience cannot derive real benefit from such discourses.
  • In such discourses, unlimited transcendental pleasure is relished both by the audience and by the speaker, and therefore they can continue the topics for many thousands of years.

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. tattherefore
  2. naḥof us
  3. bhavānyour good self
  4. vaicertainly
  5. bhagavatin relation with the Personality of Godhead
  6. pradhānaḥchiefly
  7. mahat-tamathe greatest of all greats
  8. ekāntaexclusively
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.18

    In this verse: “devotee”, “worship”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “hearing”

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 hearing about the Lord to serve Him, or mainly to obtain something for myself?

Practice

Before reading today, pause and form the intention to hear about Kṛṣṇa for His service rather than for material gain.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPure Hearing Requires Pure MotivesThis 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 1.18.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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