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

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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 7: The Son of Droṇa Punished
1.7.101.7.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.7.11

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.7.10inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

हरेर्गुणाक्षिप्तमतिर्भगवान् बादरायणि: ।

अध्यगान्महदाख्यानं नित्यं विष्णुजनप्रिय: ॥ ११ ॥

harer guṇākṣipta-matir

bhagavān bādarāyaṇiḥ

adhyagān mahad ākhyānaṁ

nityaṁ viṣṇu-jana-priyaḥ

Translation

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, son of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, was not only transcendentally powerful. He was also very dear to the devotees of the Lord. Thus he underwent the study of this great narration [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam].

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotee Association Awakens Personal Loving Service

  1. 1

    Vyāsadeva taught Śukadeva Gosvāmī the Bhāgavatam to attach him to the Lord’s transcendental activities. Even a liberated soul can become attracted to the Lord’s qualities through association with pure devotees.

  2. 2

    By Nārada’s mercy, Vyāsadeva could narrate Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and by Vyāsadeva’s mercy, Śukadeva Gosvāmī could grasp its meaning. Śukadeva experienced greater transcendental bliss in the Lord’s personal feature than in impersonal Brahman.

  3. 3

    Devotees desire to remain individuals and become personal servants of the Lord. After becoming a devotee, Śukadeva Gosvāmī desired their association, and they also cherished his.

Key points from the purport
  • The transcendental qualities of the Lord are so attractive that Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī became detached from being completely absorbed in impersonal Brahman and positively took up the personal activity of the Lord.
  • Therefore it appears that Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī also had no liking for the devotees.
  • Thus both the son and the father were completely cognizant of transcendental knowledge in Brahman, and afterwards both of them became absorbed in the personal features of the Supreme 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.

Connected verses· 2

Quoted in the purport ofSB 11.2.46

Similarly, in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.7.11) Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī is mentioned as nityaṁ viṣṇu-jana-priyaḥ, especially dear to the pure devotees of the Lord.

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 24.117

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.7.11).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Grief → Trust. Violence and bereavement make Kṛṣṇa's protective presence precious.

Chapters 7–9 of Canto 1: Postwar anguish, Kuntī and Bhīṣma. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 7: The Son of Droṇa Punished

Vyāsadeva compiles Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; Arjuna captures Aśvatthāmā, and Kṛṣṇa addresses the question of his punishment.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.7
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. hareḥof Hari, the Personality of Godhead
  2. guṇatranscendental attributes
  3. ākṣiptabeing absorbed in
  4. matiḥmind
  5. bhagavānpowerful
  6. bādarāyaṇiḥthe son of Vyāsadeva
  7. adhyagātunderwent studies
  8. mahatgreat
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “narration”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “mercy”

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 I become more receptive to the association of those who desire to serve the Lord personally?

Practice

Read aloud the passage describing how Vyāsadeva’s association attracted Śukadeva Gosvāmī to the Lord’s qualities.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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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 todayDevotee Association Awakens Personal Loving 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 1.7.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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