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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
1.5.261.5.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.5.27

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 1.5.8inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaNārada Muni → Vyāsadeva

तस्मिंस्तदा लब्धरुचेर्महामते

प्रियश्रवस्यस्खलिता मतिर्मम ।

ययाहमेतत्सदसत्स्वमायया

पश्ये मयि ब्रह्मणि कल्पितं परे ॥ २७ ॥

tasmiṁs tadā labdha-rucer mahā-mate

priyaśravasy askhalitā matir mama

yayāham etat sad-asat sva-māyayā

paśye mayi brahmaṇi kalpitaṁ pare

Translation

O great sage, as soon as I got a taste of the Personality of Godhead, my attention to hear of the Lord was unflinching. And as my taste developed, I could realize that it was only in my ignorance that I had accepted gross and subtle coverings, for both the Lord and I are transcendental.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hearing Removes Ignorance and Inspires Service

  1. 1

    Hearing the Lord’s pastimes is direct association with Him, because He and His pastimes are nondifferent. Like sunlight removing darkness, this association removes ignorance.

  2. 2

    Ignorance makes the conditioned soul think that both the Lord and the living being are products of material nature. In truth, both are transcendental.

  3. 3

    Understanding that the gross and subtle bodies come from the Lord allows us to engage both in His service. The body can serve through temple worship, while the mind hears, remembers His pastimes and attends to chanting His name.

Key points from the purport
  • Ignorance in material existence is compared to darkness, and in all Vedic literatures the Personality of Godhead is compared to the sun.
  • But in fact the Personality of Godhead and the living beings are transcendental, and they have nothing to do with the material nature.
  • Since the gross and subtle bodies are emanations from the Personality of Godhead, the knowledge of light permits one to engage both of them in the service of the Lord.

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. tasminit being so
  2. tadāat that time
  3. labdhaachieved
  4. ruceḥtaste
  5. mahā-mateO great sage
  6. priyaśravasiupon the Lord
  7. askhalitā matiḥuninterrupted attention
  8. mamamine
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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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.5

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worship”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.5

    In this verse: “understanding”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could you engage both your body and mind in the Lord’s service today?

Practice

Make obeisances to the Lord, then spend one minute remembering a description of His pastimes you have heard.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHearing Removes Ignorance and Inspires ServiceThis 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 1.5.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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