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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
1.19.31.19.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.19.4

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.19.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

स चिन्तयन्नित्थमथाश‍ृणोद् यथा

मुने: सुतोक्तो निऋर्तिस्तक्षकाख्य: ।

स साधु मेने न चिरेण तक्षका-

नलं प्रसक्तस्य विरक्तिकारणम् ॥ ४ ॥

sa cintayann ittham athāśṛṇod yathā

muneḥ sutokto nirṛtis takṣakākhyaḥ

sa sādhu mene na cireṇa takṣakā-

nalaṁ prasaktasya virakti-kāraṇam

Translation

While the King was thus repenting, he received news of his imminent death, which would be due to the bite of a snake-bird, occasioned by the curse spoken by the sage’s son. The King accepted this as good news, for it would be the cause of his indifference toward worldly things.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Prepare Now to Go Back to Godhead

  1. 1

    Real happiness comes through spiritual existence, beyond repeated birth and death. Even the highest material planet cannot offer this freedom; one must go back to Godhead.

  2. 2

    Mahārāja Parīkṣit understood the curse as a blessing because it loosened his worldly attachments. Though the curse was unwarranted, he used the warning to prepare himself.

  3. 3

    Human life is a chance to prepare to go back to Godhead. Unlike the King, most people receive no definite notice of death, so this duty should not be neglected.

Key points from the purport
  • Mahārāja Parīkṣit could have gone to the muni to beg his pardon, but the news of imminent death was conveyed to the King with so much regret by the muni that the King did not want to shame the muni further by his presence there.
  • He decided to prepare himself for his imminent death and find out the way to go back to Godhead.
  • The life of a human being is a chance to prepare oneself to go back to Godhead, or to get rid of the material existence, the repetition of birth and death.

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.

This verse is a turning point of the arc: Death accepted as a turn toward detachment.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥhe, the King
  2. cintayanthinking
  3. itthamlike this
  4. athanow
  5. aśṛṇotheard
  6. yathāas
  7. muneḥof the sage
  8. suta-uktaḥuttered by the son
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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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “death”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.19

    In this verse: “attachments”, “material”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.19

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What worldly attachment distracts me from preparing to go back to Godhead?

Practice

Set aside five minutes from a worldly distraction to reflect on your spiritual goal.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPrepare Now to Go Back to GodheadThis 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 1.19.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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