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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
1.8.281.8.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.29

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

न वेद कश्चिद्भगवंश्चिकीर्षितं

तवेहमानस्य नृणां विडम्बनम् ।

न यस्य कश्चिद्दयितोऽस्ति कर्हिचिद्

द्वेष्यश्च यस्मिन् विषमा मतिर्नृणाम् ॥ २९ ॥

na veda kaścid bhagavaṁś cikīrṣitaṁ

tavehamānasya nṛṇāṁ viḍambanam

na yasya kaścid dayito ’sti karhicid

dveṣyaś ca yasmin viṣamā matir nṛṇām

Translation

O Lord, no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and so are misleading. You have no specific object of favor, nor do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Mercy Is Equal; Our Receptivity Differs

  1. 1

    The Lord’s pastimes appear human, but they are transcendental and free from material contamination. To consider the Personality of Godhead an ordinary human being is misleading.

  2. 2

    The Lord distributes His mercy equally, just as the sun distributes its rays. Differences arise from the recipients’ capacity to receive, not from partiality in the Lord.

  3. 3

    Pure devotees serve with love, not in exchange for some benefit. Those fully engaged in His service are full recipients of His mercy.

Key points from the purport
  • The pure devotee does not render service unto the Lord for such exchange, and therefore the full mercy of the Lord is open for him.
  • When the Lord descends to this material world by His all-merciful energy, He plays like a human being, and therefore it appears that the Lord is partial to His devotees only, but that is not a fact.
  • Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is never partial.

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. nadoes not
  2. vedaknow
  3. kaścitanyone
  4. bhagavanO Lord
  5. cikīrṣitampastimes
  6. tavaYour
  7. īhamānasyalike the worldly men
  8. nṛṇāmof the people in general
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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 1.8

    In this verse: “favor”, “mercy”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “understand”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I seek a lasting relationship of service, or turn to the Lord only when I need something?

Practice

Offer one prayer today asking for the opportunity to serve the Lord, without requesting a material benefit.

5

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. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayMercy Is Equal; Our Receptivity DiffersThis 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 1.8.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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