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

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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 2: Divinity and Divine Service
1.2.161.2.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.2.17

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.2.2inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

श‍ृण्वतां स्वकथा: कृष्ण: पुण्यश्रवणकीर्तन: ।

हृद्यन्त:स्थो ह्यभद्राणि विधुनोति सुहृत्सताम् ॥ १७ ॥

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Cleanses the Sincere Hearer’s Heart

  1. 1

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is present in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul. He cleanses material desires from the heart of the sincere devotee who eagerly hears His messages.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa’s messages are nondifferent from Him, and His holy names possess His potencies. Anyone can chant His holy name with attention and reverence, without a rigid rule of time.

  3. 3

    Long-standing desires for material enjoyment take time to overcome. Through hearing the Lord’s glories, the devotee receives His help and gains strength against disturbances.

Key points from the purport
  • Whenever, therefore, offenseless hearing and glorification of God are undertaken, it is to be understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa is present there in the form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally.
  • When He sees that a devotee is completely sincere in getting admittance to the transcendental service of the Lord and has thus become eager to hear about Him, the Lord acts from within the devotee in such a way that the devotee may easily go back to Him.
  • The Lord is more anxious to take us back into His kingdom than we can desire.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 5

Quoted in the purport ofSB 4.21.52

“When one engages in devotional service in the first stages of hearing and chanting, the Lord, who is in everyone’s heart, helps the devotee in cleansing his heart.”

Quoted in the purport ofSB 4.30.21

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.17): “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”

Quoted in the purport ofSB 4.30.35

By hearing the holy names and glories of the Lord, a person executes pious activities: śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ.

Quoted in the purport ofSB 5.14.31

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.17): “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses the desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”

Quoted in the purport ofSB 5.18.11

Sūta Gosvāmī confirms this in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.17): The Supreme Lord within everyone’s heart becomes very pleased when a person hears narrations of His activities, and He personally cleanses the dirt from the mind of the listener.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Concern → Purpose. A spiritually urgent question emerges for the age of Kali.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 1: The sages ask the ultimate questions. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 2: Divinity and Divine Service

Sūta explains how hearing about Kṛṣṇa and rendering devotional service purify the heart.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.2
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śṛṇvatāmthose who have developed the urge to hear the message of
  2. sva-kathāḥHis own words
  3. kṛṣṇaḥthe Personality of Godhead
  4. puṇyavirtues
  5. śravaṇahearing
  6. kīrtanaḥchanting
  7. hṛdi antaḥ sthaḥwithin one’s heart
  8. hicertainly
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.2

    In this verse: “chanted”, “heard”, “chant”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.2

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 1.2

    In this verse: “cleanses”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How attentive and sincere am I when hearing or chanting the Lord’s name?

Practice

Set aside a few quiet minutes today to chant Kṛṣṇa’s holy name with attention and reverence.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

4 lectures given on it · quoted in 116 more lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Show 2 more lectures on it
Quoted in 116 other lectures

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Cleanses the Sincere Hearer’s HeartOne of the 108 chosen lessons: a practice and a question from this verse

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 1.2.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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