1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 3: Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations
1.3.121.3.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.3.13

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.3.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

अष्टमे मेरुदेव्यां तु नाभेर्जात उरुक्रम: ।

दर्शयन् वर्त्म धीराणां सर्वाश्रमनमस्कृतम् ॥ १३ ॥

aṣṭame merudevyāṁ tu

nābher jāta urukramaḥ

darśayan vartma dhīrāṇāṁ

sarvāśrama-namaskṛtam

Translation

The eighth incarnation was King Ṛṣabha, son of King Nābhi and his wife Merudevī. In this incarnation the Lord showed the path of perfection, which is followed by those who have fully controlled their senses and who are honored by all orders of life.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seek Lasting Happiness Through Spiritual Realization

  1. 1

    King Ṛṣabha taught that human life is meant for eternal, unlimited happiness through spiritual realization. Temporary sense pleasure is available even in animal life.

  2. 2

    Tapasya, voluntary penance and abstinence from material pleasure, sanctifies one's existence. It enables spiritual happiness that is eternal and ever increasing.

  3. 3

    Those undisturbed by the senses can progress toward the paramahaṁsa stage, the highest perfection of renounced life. Ṛṣabha's final detachment from bodily needs is to be honored, not imitated.

Key points from the purport
  • The society of human beings is naturally divided into eight by orders and statuses of life — the four divisions of occupation and four divisions of cultural advancement.
  • Mahārāja Ṛṣabha, the son of King Nābhi and Merudevī, was an incarnation of the Lord, and He instructed His sons to follow the path of perfection by tapasya, which sanctifies one’s existence and enables one to attain the stage of spiritual happiness which is eternal and ever increasing.
  • The human life is meant for attaining eternal and unlimited happiness by spiritual realization.

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

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 3: Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations

Sūta describes the Lord’s incarnations and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as His literary incarnation.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. aṣṭamethe eighth of the incarnations
  2. merudevyām tuin the womb of Merudevī, the wife of
  3. nābheḥKing Nābhi
  4. jātaḥtook birth
  5. urukramaḥthe all-powerful Lord
  6. darśayanby showing
  7. vartmathe way
  8. dhīrāṇāmof the perfect beings
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 1.3

    In this verse: “detachment”, “renounced”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.3

    In this verse: “king”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.3

    In this verse: “material”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where are you seeking temporary pleasure instead of lasting spiritual happiness?

Practice

Voluntarily leave aside one unnecessary material pleasure today and spend a few minutes studying this teaching.

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.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todaySeek Lasting Happiness Through Spiritual RealizationThis 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 1.3.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories