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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
1.7.231.7.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.7.24

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Arjunasince 1.7.22inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

स एव जीवलोकस्य मायामोहितचेतस: ।

विधत्से स्वेन वीर्येण श्रेयो धर्मादिलक्षणम् ॥ २४ ॥

sa eva jīva-lokasya

māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ

vidhatse svena vīryeṇa

śreyo dharmādi-lakṣaṇam

Translation

And yet, though You are beyond the purview of the material energy, You execute the four principles of liberation characterized by religion and so on for the ultimate good of the conditioned souls.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Mercy Restores Our Eternal Service

  1. 1

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa descends out of causeless mercy to reclaim fallen souls. He remains eternally beyond the influence of material nature.

  2. 2

    The living being is eternally the Lord’s servant. Forgetting this position, one imagines oneself an enjoyer of the material world.

  3. 3

    The Lord comes to remove this false sense of enjoyment and bring conditioned souls back to Godhead. His purpose reveals His all-merciful nature.

Key points from the purport
  • The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy, descends to the manifested world without being influenced by the material modes of nature.
  • The Lord descends to eradicate this false sense of enjoyment and thus reclaim conditioned souls back to Godhead.
  • That is the all-merciful nature of the Lord for the fallen souls.

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. saḥthat Transcendence
  2. evacertainly
  3. jīva-lokasyaof the conditioned living beings
  4. māyā-mohitacaptivated by the illusory energy
  5. cetasaḥby the heart
  6. vidhatseexecute
  7. svenaby Your own
  8. vīryeṇainfluence
3

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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “religion”, “principles”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “material”

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

Where am I forgetting my position as the Lord’s servant and trying to be an independent enjoyer?

Practice

Offer one small act of service to Kṛṣṇa today, consciously remembering that you are His servant.

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.

Live this todayMercy Restores Our Eternal 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 1.7.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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