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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 3: Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations
1.3.221.3.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.3.23

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

एकोनविंशे विंशतिमे वृष्णिषु प्राप्य जन्मनी ।

रामकृष्णाविति भुवो भगवानहरद्भ‍रम् ॥ २३ ॥

ekonaviṁśe viṁśatime

vṛṣṇiṣu prāpya janmanī

rāma-kṛṣṇāv iti bhuvo

bhagavān aharad bharam

Translation

In the nineteenth and twentieth incarnations, the Lord advented Himself as Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa in the family of Vṛṣṇi [the Yadu dynasty], and by so doing He removed the burden of the world.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Original Personality of Godhead

  1. 1

    Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in the Vṛṣṇi family and removed the burden of the world.

  2. 2

    The word bhagavān indicates that Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa are original forms of the Lord. Kṛṣṇa is directly the original Personality of Godhead, not an incarnation of the puruṣa.

  3. 3

    Balarāma is the Lord’s first plenary manifestation. From Baladeva expand Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha and Pradyumna.

Key points from the purport
  • The specific mention of the word bhagavān in this text indicates that Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa are original forms of the Lord.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa is not an incarnation of the puruṣa, as we learned from the beginning of this chapter.
  • Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Vāsudeva, and Baladeva is Saṅkarṣaṇa.

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. ekonaviṁśein the nineteenth
  2. viṁśatimein the twentieth also
  3. vṛṣṇiṣuin the Vṛṣṇi dynasty
  4. prāpyahaving obtained
  5. janmanībirths
  6. rāmaBalarāma
  7. kṛṣṇauŚrī Kṛṣṇa
  8. itithus
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

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

How does understanding Kṛṣṇa as the original Personality of Godhead shape my regard for Him?

Practice

Read aloud once: “Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, and Balarāma is His first plenary manifestation.”

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 todayKṛṣṇa Is the Original Personality of 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 1.3.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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