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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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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
1.7.431.7.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.7.44

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.7.42inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

सरहस्यो धनुर्वेद: सविसर्गोपसंयम: ।

अस्त्रग्रामश्च भवता शिक्षितो यदनुग्रहात् ॥ ४४ ॥

sarahasyo dhanur-vedaḥ

savisargopasaṁyamaḥ

astra-grāmaś ca bhavatā

śikṣito yad-anugrahāt

Translation

It was by Droṇācārya’s mercy that you learned the military art of throwing arrows and the confidential art of controlling weapons.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember What Your Teachers Have Given

  1. 1

    Droṇācārya taught Arjuna military science, including confidential methods of releasing and controlling weapons through Vedic hymns.

  2. 2

    Draupadī wanted Arjuna to feel obliged to his teacher for these benefits. In her view, the teacher's son represented him in his absence.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that a learned brāhmaṇa should teach, whatever the department of knowledge. Teaching is an authorized occupation for a bona fide brāhmaṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Dhanur-veda, or military science, was taught by Droṇācārya with all its confidential secrets of throwing and controlling by Vedic hymns.
  • Gross military science is dependent on material weapons, but finer than that is the art of throwing the arrows saturated with Vedic hymns, which act more effectively than gross material weapons like machine guns or atomic bombs.
  • It may be argued why Droṇācārya, a rigid brāhmaṇa, should be a teacher in military science.

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. sa-rahasyaḥconfidential
  2. dhanuḥ-vedaḥknowledge in the art of manipulating bows and arrows
  3. sa-visargareleasing
  4. upasaṁyamaḥcontrolling
  5. astraweapons
  6. grāmaḥall kinds of
  7. caand
  8. bhavatāby yourself
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.7

    In this verse: “mercy”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

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

    In this verse: “absence”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

Which benefits from my teachers do I sometimes take for granted?

Practice

Thank one teacher today for a specific thing you learned from them.

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 todayRemember What Your Teachers Have GivenThis 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 1.7.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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