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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
1.2.171.2.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.2.18

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.2.2inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

नष्टप्रायेष्वभद्रेषु नित्यं भागवतसेवया ।

भगवत्युत्तमश्लोके भक्तिर्भवति नैष्ठिकी ॥ १८ ॥

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā

bhagavaty uttama-śloke

bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

Translation

By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Regular Bhāgavata Association Makes Devotion Steady

  1. 1

    Regular attendance in Bhāgavatam classes and service to the pure devotee almost completely destroy what troubles the heart. Loving service to the Personality of Godhead then becomes firmly established.

  2. 2

    There are two Bhāgavatas: the book Bhāgavata and the devotee Bhāgavata. The devotee lives according to the book, and both are remedies for obstacles to self-realization.

  3. 3

    Sincere association with the Bhāgavatas brings transcendental knowledge and steadiness in devotional service. Receiving the book’s messages from the devotee helps the beginner progress.

Key points from the purport
  • A devotee Bhāgavata is as good as the book Bhāgavata because the devotee Bhāgavata leads his life in terms of the book Bhāgavata and the book Bhāgavata is full of information about the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also Bhāgavatas.
  • So by pleasing the devotee Bhāgavata one can receive the benefit of the book Bhāgavata.
  • The messages of the book Bhāgavata, therefore, have to be received from the devotee Bhāgavata, and the combination of these two Bhāgavatas will help the neophyte devotee to make progress on and on.

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· 3

Quoted in the purport ofSB 5.10.10

However, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.18): naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā.

Quoted in the purport ofSB 5.18.11

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.18): “By regularly hearing the Bhāgavatam and rendering service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.”

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.13.53

Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. All the activities of Kṛṣṇa described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, beginning even with the pastimes concerning Pūtanā, are transcendental.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. naṣṭadestroyed
  2. prāyeṣualmost to nil
  3. abhadreṣuall that is inauspicious
  4. nityamregularly
  5. bhāgavataŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or the pure devotee
  6. sevayāby serving
  7. bhagavatiunto the Personality of Godhead
  8. uttamatranscendental
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 1.2

    In this verse: “devotee”, “devotional service”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.2

    In this verse: “knowledge”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I make receiving the Bhāgavatam from a devotee a regular part of my life?

Practice

Listen to a short portion of a Bhāgavatam class given by a devotee today.

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 53 more lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Show 2 more lectures on it
Quoted in 53 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 todayRegular Bhāgavata Association Makes Devotion SteadyOne 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 1.2.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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