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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
1.7.341.7.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.7.35

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 1.7.35inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

मैनं पार्थार्हसि त्रातुं ब्रह्मबन्धुमिमं जहि ।

योऽसावनागस: सुप्तानवधीन्निशि बालकान् ॥ ३५ ॥

mainaṁ pārthārhasi trātuṁ

brahma-bandhum imaṁ jahi

yo ’sāv anāgasaḥ suptān

avadhīn niśi bālakān

Translation

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: O Arjuna, you should not show mercy by releasing this relative of a brāhmaṇa [brahma-bandhu], for he has killed innocent boys in their sleep.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Qualification, Not Birth, Determines Spiritual Standing

  1. 1

    Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa called the killer of the sleeping, innocent boys a brahma-bandhu, a relative of a brāhmaṇa. He told Arjuna not to release him.

  2. 2

    Birth in a brāhmaṇa family does not itself make someone a brāhmaṇa. Just as a judge's son is not automatically a judge, the position requires qualification.

  3. 3

    A qualified person from another family must be accepted as a brāhmaṇa, while an unqualified person of brāhmaṇa birth must not. Kṛṣṇa, the supreme authority of religious principles, personally made this distinction.

Key points from the purport
  • A person who happens to take birth in the family of a brāhmaṇa but is not qualified to be called a brāhmaṇa is addressed as the relative of a brāhmaṇa, and not as a brāhmaṇa.
  • Therefore, as by birth only one does not become a high court judge, so also one does not become a brāhmaṇa simply by birthright but by acquiring the necessary qualifications of a brāhmaṇa.
  • As the high court judgeship is a post for the qualified man, so also the post of a brāhmaṇa is attainable by qualification only.

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. mā enamnever unto him
  2. pārthaO Arjuna
  3. arhasiought to
  4. trātumgive release
  5. brahma-bandhuma relative of a brāhmaṇa
  6. imamhim
  7. jahikill
  8. yaḥhe (who has)
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “mercy”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

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

    In this verse: “religious”, “principles”

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

Do I value a person's actual qualifications more than family background or title?

Practice

When assessing someone today, consider their demonstrated qualities rather than their family or title.

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 todayQualification, Not Birth, Determines Spiritual StandingThis 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 1.7.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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