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Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto

Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 19: The Appearance of Śukadeva Gosvāmī

1.19.20 1.19.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.19.21

Nirodha· Winding up

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The sagessince 1.19.20inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

सर्वे वयं तावदिहास्महेऽथ

कलेवरं यावदसौ विहाय ।

लोकं परं विरजस्कं विशोकं

यास्यत्ययं भागवतप्रधान: ॥ २१ ॥

sarve vayaṁ tāvad ihāsmahe ’tha

kalevaraṁ yāvad asau vihāya

lokaṁ paraṁ virajaskaṁ viśokaṁ

yāsyaty ayaṁ bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ

Translation

We shall all wait here until the foremost devotee of the Lord, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, returns to the supreme planet, which is completely free from all mundane contamination and all kinds of lamentation.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Treasure the Association of Great Devotees

1
Beyond the material creation is the spiritual sky, full of Vaikuṇṭha planets. There is no material contamination, birth, death, old age or disease there.
2
Goloka Vṛndāvana is the supreme spiritual planet, the abode of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His specific associates. The sages foresaw that Mahārāja Parīkṣit would reach this abode.
3
A great devotee’s entrance into the kingdom of God is not a cause for lamentation, yet losing that devotee’s visible company brings sorrow. The sages therefore chose to remain with the King until his last moment.

Key points from the purport

When a great devotee of the Lord passes away, there is nothing to be lamented because the devotee is destined to enter into the kingdom of God.
As the Lord is rarely to be seen by our present eyes, so also are the great devotees.
The great ṛṣis, therefore, correctly decided to remain on the spot till the last moment.

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

Chapter 19: The Appearance of Śukadeva Gosvāmī

Parīkṣit accepts impending death, sits beside the Ganges, and asks Śukadeva Gosvāmī about perfection.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.19

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

sarveall
vayamof us
tāvatas long as
ihaat this place
āsmaheshall stay
athahereafter
kalevaramthe body
yāvatso long

Key ideas in this verse

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

Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead
What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.19
In this verse: “devotee”, “devotee’s”
Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment
Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 1.19
In this verse: “free from”
Śuddhi · Inner transformation
The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 1.19
In this verse: “contamination”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I better value the company of the Lord’s devotees while it is available?

Practice

Spend a few attentive minutes today in a devotee’s company, appreciating the opportunity rather than taking it for granted.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTreasure the Association of Great DevoteesThis 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 1.19.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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