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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 5: Nārada’s Instructions on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for Vyāsadeva
1.5.181.5.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.5.19

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 1.5.8inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaNārada Muni → Vyāsadeva

न वै जनो जातु कथञ्चनाव्रजे-

न्मुकुन्दसेव्यन्यवदङ्ग संसृतिम् ।

स्मरन्मुकुन्दाङ्‌घ्र्युरपगूहनं पुन-

र्विहातुमिच्छेन्न रसग्रहो जन: ॥ १९ ॥

na vai jano jātu kathañcanāvrajen

mukunda-sevy anyavad aṅga saṁsṛtim

smaran mukundāṅghry-upagūhanaṁ punar

vihātum icchen na rasa-graho janaḥ

Translation

My dear Vyāsa, even though a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa sometimes falls down somehow or other, he certainly does not undergo material existence like others [fruitive workers, etc.] because a person who has once relished the taste of the lotus feet of the Lord can do nothing but remember that ecstasy again and again.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Taste of Devotion Draws Us Back

  1. 1

    One who has tasted the sweetness of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet repeatedly remembers that happiness. Pure devotional service gradually makes material enjoyment uninteresting.

  2. 2

    A fallen devotee is not in the same position as a worker suffering reactions to material actions. The devotee remains under the Lord’s care and may be corrected by Him.

  3. 3

    A beginner may foolishly seek material power in exchange for devotional service. The Lord may remove material supports as a special favor, bringing the devotee back to sincere service.

Key points from the purport
  • A devotee of the Lord automatically becomes uninterested in the enchantment of material existence because he is rasa-graha, or one who has tasted the sweetness of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • A devotee of the Lord, due to wrong association, sometimes imitates the fruitive workers.
  • A pure devotee continuously remembers the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and does not forget Him even for a moment, not even in exchange for all the opulence of the three worlds.

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

Dissatisfaction → Inspired clarity. Even great accomplishment leaves Vyāsa without contentment until devotion is centered.

Chapters 4–6 of Canto 1: Vyāsa is dissatisfied; Nārada directs him to the Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 5: Nārada’s Instructions on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for Vyāsadeva

Nārada urges Vyāsadeva to describe the Lord’s glories and recalls his own service to sages.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.5
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanever
  2. vaicertainly
  3. janaḥa person
  4. jātuat any time
  5. kathañcanasomehow or other
  6. āvrajetdoes not undergo
  7. mukunda-sevīthe devotee of the Lord
  8. anyavatlike others
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.5

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

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 1.5

    In this verse: “ecstasy”, “sweetness”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.5

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I seeking the sweetness of serving Kṛṣṇa, or expecting material rewards from my service?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute remembering Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then perform one small act of service without asking for a material reward.

5

The story around it

The stories 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 todayThe Taste of Devotion Draws Us BackThis 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.

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