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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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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
1.3.411.3.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.3.42

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

स तु संश्रावयामास महाराजं परीक्षितम् ।

प्रायोपविष्टं गङ्गायां परीतं परमर्षिभि: ॥ ४२ ॥

sa tu saṁśrāvayām āsa

mahārājaṁ parīkṣitam

prāyopaviṣṭaṁ gaṅgāyāṁ

parītaṁ paramarṣibhiḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the son of Vyāsadeva, in his turn delivered the Bhāgavatam to the great Emperor Parīkṣit, who sat surrounded by sages on the bank of the Ganges, awaiting death without taking food or drink.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear Through Paramparā and Remember the Lord

  1. 1

    Transcendental knowledge is properly received through paramparā, the chain of disciplic succession. The message of Bhāgavatam should come from Sūta Gosvāmī or his representative, not an unrelated interpreter.

  2. 2

    Knowing that death was approaching, Emperor Parīkṣit left his kingdom and family and sat on the bank of the Ganges. Amid the gathered sages, he heard about Lord Kṛṣṇa from Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

  3. 3

    Remembering Nārāyaṇa at the end of life is the essence of all spiritual activities. Both the qualified speaker and the hearer were delivered through the message of Bhāgavatam.

Key points from the purport
  • Vyāsadeva delivered the message to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Sūta Gosvāmī received the message.
  • Śukadeva Gosvāmī had long ago stated the same truth, that at the end one must remember Nārāyaṇa.
  • In pursuance of this eternal truth, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was heard by Emperor Parīkṣit, and it was recited by the able Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

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. saḥthe son of Vyāsadeva
  2. tuagain
  3. saṁśrāvayām āsamake them audible
  4. mahā-rājamunto the emperor
  5. parīkṣitamof the name Parīkṣit
  6. prāya-upaviṣṭamwho sat until death without food or drink
  7. gaṅgāyāmon the bank of the Ganges
  8. parītambeing surrounded
  9. parama-ṛṣibhiḥby great sages
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.3

    In this verse: “emperor”, “kingdom”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 1.3

    In this verse: “death”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.3

    In this verse: “heard”

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 can my hearing today help me remember the Lord at the end of life?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute reciting the name of Govinda and remembering Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear Through Paramparā and Remember the LordThis 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 1.3.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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