1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
1.7.301.7.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.7.31

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.7.29inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

द‍ृष्ट्वास्त्रतेजस्तु तयोस्त्रील्लोकान् प्रदहन्महत् ।

दह्यमाना: प्रजा: सर्वा: सांवर्तकममंसत ॥ ३१ ॥

dṛṣṭvāstra-tejas tu tayos

trīl lokān pradahan mahat

dahyamānāḥ prajāḥ sarvāḥ

sāṁvartakam amaṁsata

Translation

All the population of the three worlds was scorched by the combined heat of the weapons. Everyone was reminded of the sāṁvartaka fire which takes place at the time of annihilation.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Suffering Reached All Three Worlds

  1. 1

    The three worlds are the upper, lower and intermediate planets of the universe.

  2. 2

    Although the weapons were released on earth, their combined heat spread throughout the universe. All the populations felt the excessive heat.

  3. 3

    The inhabitants compared it to the sāṁvartaka fire of annihilation. The purport emphasizes that no planet is without living beings.

Key points from the purport
  • The three worlds are the upper, lower and intermediate planets of the universe.
  • Although the brahmāstra was released on this earth, the heat produced by the combination of both weapons covered all the universe, and all the populations on all the different planets began to feel the heat excessively and compared it to that of the sāṁvartaka fire.
  • No planet, therefore, is without living beings, as less intelligent materialistic men think.

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. dṛṣṭvāthus seeing
  2. astraweapon
  3. tejaḥheat
  4. tubut
  5. tayoḥof both
  6. trīnthree
  7. lokānplanets
  8. pradahatblazing
3

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

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 does the suffering of so many living beings broaden my concern beyond my immediate surroundings?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute considering how your actions may affect living beings beyond those you directly see.

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 todaySuffering Reached All Three WorldsThis 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 1.7.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories