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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
1.19.41.19.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.19.5

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

अथो विहायेमममुं च लोकं

विमर्शितौ हेयतया पुरस्तात् ।

कृष्णाङ्‌घ्रिसेवामधिमन्यमान

उपाविशत् प्रायममर्त्यनद्याम् ॥ ५ ॥

atho vihāyemam amuṁ ca lokaṁ

vimarśitau heyatayā purastāt

kṛṣṇāṅghri-sevām adhimanyamāna

upāviśat prāyam amartya-nadyām

Translation

Mahārāja Parīkṣit sat down firmly on the banks of the Ganges to concentrate his mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, rejecting all other practices of self-realization, because transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa is the greatest achievement, superseding all other methods.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Loving Service to Kṛṣṇa Is Highest

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Parīkṣit firmly concentrated his mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He accepted transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa as the greatest achievement, above other methods of self-realization.

  2. 2

    Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the primeval Lord and original Personality of Godhead. For a devotee, even the highest material planet is less desirable than His abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana.

  3. 3

    The devotee desires to return to Godhead to serve as an associate of the Lord. Knowing that his death was approaching, the King became more determined in loving service to Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • For a devotee like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, none of the material planets, even the topmost Brahmaloka, is as desirable as Goloka Vṛndāvana, the abode of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the primeval Lord and original Personality of Godhead.
  • Mahārāja Parīkṣit was already aware of all this information due to his accumulated piety and birth in a high family of devotees, Vaiṣṇavas, and thus he was not at all interested in the material planets.
  • But a devotee like Mahārāja Parīkṣit does not care a fig for the moon or, for that matter, any of the material planets.

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. athothus
  2. vihāyagiving up
  3. imamthis
  4. amumand the next
  5. caalso
  6. lokamplanets
  7. vimarśitauall of them being judged
  8. heyatayābecause of inferiority
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: “devotee”

  • 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: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I see loving service to Kṛṣṇa as my greatest achievement?

Practice

Sit quietly for a few minutes and consciously turn your mind toward loving service to Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLoving Service to Kṛṣṇa Is HighestThis 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 1.19.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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