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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
1.8.21.8.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.3

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.8.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

तत्रासीनं कुरुपतिं धृतराष्ट्रं सहानुजम् ।

गान्धारीं पुत्रशोकार्तां पृथां कृष्णां च माधव: ॥ ३ ॥

tatrāsīnaṁ kuru-patiṁ

dhṛtarāṣṭraṁ sahānujam

gāndhārīṁ putra-śokārtāṁ

pṛthāṁ kṛṣṇāṁ ca mādhavaḥ

Translation

There sat the King of the Kurus, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his younger brothers and Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī and Draupadī, all overwhelmed with grief. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also there.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Shows Sympathy to the Grieving

  1. 1

    The Battle of Kurukṣetra was fought between family members. Because those who died were related to one another, the family’s grief was shared.

  2. 2

    Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and the other family members sat overwhelmed with grief. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also present as their relative.

  3. 3

    The Lord was equally sympathetic toward all of them. He therefore began to pacify them in a fitting way.

Key points from the purport
  • The Battle of Kurukṣetra was fought between family members, and thus all affected persons were also family members like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and brothers, Kuntī, Draupadī, Subhadrā, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī and her daughters-in-law, etc. All the principal dead bodies were in some way or other related with each other, and therefore the family grief was combined.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa was also one of them as a cousin of the Pāṇḍavas and nephew of Kuntī, as well as brother of Subhadrā, etc. The Lord, therefore, was equally sympathetic toward all of them, and therefore he began to pacify them befittingly.

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. tatrathere
  2. āsīnamsitting
  3. kuru-patimthe King of the Kurus
  4. dhṛtarāṣṭramDhṛtarāṣṭra
  5. saha-anujamwith his younger brothers
  6. gāndhārīmGāndhārī
  7. putrason
  8. śoka-artāmovertaken by bereavement
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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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “king”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might Kṛṣṇa’s equal sympathy guide your response to someone who is grieving?

Practice

Offer a gentle word or a few minutes of attentive listening to someone experiencing sorrow.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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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 todayKṛṣṇa Shows Sympathy to the GrievingThis 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 1.8.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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