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

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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
1.8.221.8.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.23

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Queen Kuntīsince 1.8.18inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

यथा हृषीकेश खलेन देवकी

कंसेन रुद्धातिचिरं शुचार्पिता ।

विमोचिताहं च सहात्मजा विभो

त्वयैव नाथेन मुहुर्विपद्गणात् ॥ २३ ॥

yathā hṛṣīkeśa khalena devakī

kaṁsena ruddhāticiraṁ śucārpitā

vimocitāhaṁ ca sahātmajā vibho

tvayaiva nāthena muhur vipad-gaṇāt

Translation

O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaṁsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Helplessness Can Deepen Attachment to Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Kuntī remembers how Kṛṣṇa released Devakī from imprisonment and saved her own family from repeated dangers. She addresses Him as Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses and Lord of lords.

  2. 2

    Kuntīdevī was a widow with no one to help her except Kṛṣṇa. The purport explains that He gives greater favor to a devotee facing greater dangers.

  3. 3

    Sometimes the Lord places His pure devotees in danger so that helplessness increases their attachment to Him. Greater attachment to the Lord means greater success for the devotee.

Key points from the purport
  • Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa and sister of King Kaṁsa, was put into prison along with her husband, Vasudeva, because the envious King was afraid of being killed by Devakī’s eighth son (Kṛṣṇa).
  • But Kuntīdevī was shown far more favor because Lord Kṛṣṇa did not save the other children of Devakī, whereas He saved the children of Kuntīdevī.
  • The conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa endows more favor to a devotee who is in greater dangers.

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. yathāas it were
  2. hṛṣīkeśathe master of the senses
  3. khalenaby the envious
  4. devakīDevakī (the mother of Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
  5. kaṁsenaby King Kaṁsa
  6. ruddhāimprisoned
  7. ati-ciramfor a long time
  8. śuca-arpitādistressed
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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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “mother”, “children”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “distressed”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “dangers”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I feel helpless, how might I turn toward Kṛṣṇa with greater attachment?

Practice

Name one difficulty in a brief prayer to Kṛṣṇa, asking that it deepen your attachment to Him.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

2 lectures given on it · quoted in 1 more lecture. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 1 other lecture

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

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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 todayHelplessness Can Deepen Attachment to KṛṣṇaThis 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 1.8.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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