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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 7: The Son of Droṇa Punished
1.7.121.7.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 1.7.13-14

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.7.12inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya
A turning point forQueen Kuntī· The aftermath of violence

यदा मृधे कौरवसृञ्जयानां

वीरेष्वथो वीरगतिं गतेषु ।

वृकोदराविद्धगदाभिमर्श-

भग्नोरुदण्डे धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रे ॥ १३ ॥

भर्तु: प्रियं द्रौणिरिति स्म पश्यन्

कृष्णासुतानां स्वपतां शिरांसि ।

उपाहरद्विप्रियमेव तस्य

जुगुप्सितं कर्म विगर्हयन्ति ॥ १४ ॥

yadā mṛdhe kaurava-sṛñjayānāṁ

vīreṣv atho vīra-gatiṁ gateṣu

vṛkodarāviddha-gadābhimarśa-

bhagnoru-daṇḍe dhṛtarāṣṭra-putre

bhartuḥ priyaṁ drauṇir iti sma paśyan

kṛṣṇā-sutānāṁ svapatāṁ śirāṁsi

upāharad vipriyam eva tasya

jugupsitaṁ karma vigarhayanti

Translation

When the respective warriors of both camps, namely the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas, were killed on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra and the dead warriors obtained their deserved destinations, and when the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra fell down lamenting, his spine broken, being beaten by the club of Bhīmasena, the son of Droṇācārya [Aśvatthāmā] beheaded the five sleeping sons of Draupadī and delivered the heads as a prize to his master, foolishly thinking that he would be pleased. Duryodhana, however, disapproved of the heinous act, and he was not pleased in the least.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Understand and Share Kṛṣṇa-kathā

  1. 1

    After the battle, Aśvatthāmā killed Draupadī’s five sleeping sons, thinking this would please Duryodhana. Duryodhana instead disapproved of the heinous act.

  2. 2

    Both Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are kṛṣṇa-kathā. The former is spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa, and the latter is spoken about Him.

  3. 3

    Lord Caitanya desired that those born in India seriously understand these teachings and, after full realization, share them throughout the world. The purport presents this transcendental message as bringing peace and prosperity to a suffering world.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore, both the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are transcendental topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted everyone to be informed of both kṛṣṇa-kathās by His order.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself in the garb of a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore the versions of both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu are identical.

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

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yadāwhen
  2. mṛdhein the battlefield
  3. kauravathe party of Dhṛtarāṣṭra
  4. sṛñjayānāmof the party of the Pāṇḍavas
  5. vīreṣuof the warriors
  6. athothus
  7. vīra-gatimthe destination deserved by the warriors
  8. gateṣubeing obtained
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “lamenting”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “suffering”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “understand”

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 carefully do I seek to understand kṛṣṇa-kathā before sharing it?

Practice

Write one sentence explaining why both Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are kṛṣṇa-kathā.

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.

7

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 1.7's connections

Live this todayUnderstand and Share Kṛṣṇa-kathāThis 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 1.7.13-14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.