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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 8: Prayers by Queen Kuntī and Parīkṣit Saved
1.8.201.8.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Queen Kuntīsince 1.8.18inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

कृष्णाय वासुदेवाय देवकीनन्दनाय च ।

नन्दगोपकुमाराय गोविन्दाय नमो नम: ॥ २१ ॥

kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya

devakī-nandanāya ca

nanda-gopa-kumārāya

govindāya namo namaḥ

Translation

Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Makes Himself Approachable Through Mercy

  1. 1

    Material assets cannot make the Lord approachable. Out of unbounded, causeless mercy, Kṛṣṇa descends to show special mercy to His unalloyed devotees.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead plays the part of an ordinary cowherd boy. Nanda and Yaśodā are especially fortunate because they relish His most attractive childhood pastimes.

  3. 3

    The residents of Vrajabhūmi dedicate everything to the Lord’s satisfaction. As Govinda, He especially favors the brāhmaṇas and the cows, and human prosperity depends on brahminical culture and cow protection.

Key points from the purport
  • Queen Kuntī specifically adores the incarnation or descent of Lord Kṛṣṇa above all other incarnations because in this particular incarnation He is more approachable.
  • Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is more merciful than Lord Rāma.
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore confirmed that no one is as fortunate as the residents of Vrajabhūmi, and specifically the cowherd girls, who dedicated their everything for the satisfaction of the Lord.

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 8: Prayers by Queen Kuntī and Parīkṣit Saved

Kṛṣṇa protects Parīkṣit, Kuntī prays for undivided attraction to Him, and Yudhiṣṭhira grieves.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.8
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṛṣṇāyathe Supreme Lord
  2. vāsudevāyaunto the son of Vasudeva
  3. devakī-nandanāyaunto the son of Devakī
  4. caand
  5. nanda-gopaNanda and the cowherd men
  6. kumārāyaunto their son
  7. govindāyaunto the Personality of Godhead, who enlivens the cows and the senses
  8. namaḥrespectful obeisances
  9. namaḥobeisances
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “nanda”, “yaśodā”, “childhood”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”, “favors”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “devotees”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What can I dedicate to Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction rather than rely on as a material asset?

Practice

Offer respectful obeisances to Govinda today, remembering His mercy in becoming an approachable cowherd boy.

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.

2 lectures 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 1.8's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Makes Himself Approachable Through MercyThis 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 1.8.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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