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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 19: The Appearance of Śukadeva Gosvāmī
1.19.361.19.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.19.37

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 1.19.32inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

अत: पृच्छामि संसिद्धिं योगिनां परमं गुरुम् ।

पुरुषस्येह यत्कार्यं म्रियमाणस्य सर्वथा ॥ ३७ ॥

ataḥ pṛcchāmi saṁsiddhiṁ

yogināṁ paramaṁ gurum

puruṣasyeha yat kāryaṁ

mriyamāṇasya sarvathā

Translation

You are the spiritual master of great saints and devotees. I am therefore begging you to show the way of perfection for all persons, and especially for one who is about to die.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seek Perfection, Not Spiritual Prestige

  1. 1

    A spiritual master should be approached with a genuine desire to inquire about perfection. Having a teacher merely as a fashionable decoration brings no spiritual benefit.

  2. 2

    The purport warns against a false teacher who flatters the disciple. Such a relationship harms both rather than helping either attain perfection.

  3. 3

    Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a worthy disciple because his question concerned everyone’s ultimate welfare, especially those facing death. His inquiry forms the basic principle of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Key points from the purport
  • Unless one is perfectly anxious to inquire about the way of perfection, there is no necessity of approaching a spiritual master.
  • A spiritual master is not a kind of decoration for a householder.
  • Generally a fashionable materialist engages a so-called spiritual master without any profit.

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 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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ataḥtherefore
  2. pṛcchāmibeg to inquire
  3. saṁsiddhimthe way of perfection
  4. yogināmof the saints
  5. paramamthe supreme
  6. gurumthe spiritual master
  7. puruṣasyaof a person
  8. ihain this life
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.19

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 1.19

    In this verse: “death”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.19

    In this verse: “inquire”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I seeking spiritual guidance for genuine perfection or for approval and prestige?

Practice

Write one question about life’s ultimate duty rather than personal status or comfort.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeek Perfection, Not Spiritual PrestigeThis 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 1.19.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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