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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
1.8.231.8.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.24

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
A turning point forQueen Kuntī· Remembering protection

विषान्महाग्ने: पुरुषाददर्शना-

दसत्सभाया वनवासकृच्छ्रत: ।

मृधे मृधेऽनेकमहारथास्त्रतो

द्रौण्यस्त्रतश्चास्म हरेऽभिरक्षिता: ॥ २४ ॥

viṣān mahāgneḥ puruṣāda-darśanād

asat-sabhāyā vana-vāsa-kṛcchrataḥ

mṛdhe mṛdhe ’neka-mahārathāstrato

drauṇy-astrataś cāsma hare ’bhirakṣitāḥ

Translation

My dear Kṛṣṇa, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Aśvatthāmā.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember Kṛṣṇa’s Protection Through Repeated Dangers

  1. 1

    Kuntīdevī and her sons faced one difficulty after another for years. Each time, the Lord saved them.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa protected them from poison, fire, dangers in the forest and powerful warriors in battle. He also protected Draupadī from humiliation by supplying an immeasurable length of cloth.

  3. 3

    Even after the battle, danger remained through the weapon of Aśvatthāmā. The Lord saved the child within Uttarā’s womb, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the only surviving descendant of the Kurus.

Key points from the purport
  • Once Bhīma was administered poison in a cake, once they were put into the house made of shellac and set afire, and once Draupadī was dragged out, and attempts were made to insult her by stripping her naked in the vicious assembly of the Kurus.
  • The Lord saved Draupadī by supplying an immeasurable length of cloth, and Duryodhana’s party failed to see her naked.
  • Similarly, when they were exiled in the forest, Bhīma had to fight with the man-eater demon Hiḍimba Rākṣasa, but the Lord saved him.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. viṣātfrom poison
  2. mahā-agneḥfrom the great fire
  3. puruṣa-adathe man-eaters
  4. darśanātby combating
  5. asatvicious
  6. sabhāyāḥassembly
  7. vana-vāsaexiled to the forest
  8. kṛcchrataḥsufferings
3

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

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “protected”, “saved”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “sufferings”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “dangers”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to me about Kuntī’s remembrance of the Lord’s repeated protection?

Practice

Reread the translation slowly and offer thanks to Kṛṣṇa for one act of protection described there.

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.

Live this todayRemember Kṛṣṇa’s Protection Through Repeated DangersThis 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 1.8.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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