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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
1.8.331.8.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.34

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

भारावतारणायान्ये भुवो नाव इवोदधौ ।

सीदन्त्या भूरिभारेण जातो ह्यात्मभुवार्थित: ॥ ३४ ॥

bhārāvatāraṇāyānye

bhuvo nāva ivodadhau

sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṇa

jāto hy ātma-bhuvārthitaḥ

Translation

Others say that the world, being overburdened like a boat at sea, is much aggrieved, and that Brahmā, who is Your son, prayed for You, and so You have appeared to diminish the trouble.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Relieves the World’s Burden

  1. 1

    Without spiritual contact, matter cannot create. Nārāyaṇa entered the universe, and Brahmā was born on a lotus growing from His transcendental abdomen.

  2. 2

    Nārāyaṇa is the Personality of Godhead Himself, not an ordinary living being. He is omnipotent, complete and independent, and is not bound by material conditions.

  3. 3

    When the earth became overburdened by the misdeeds of the asuras, Brahmājī and the demigods prayed to the Lord. They were advised that Kṛṣṇa would descend as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī.

Key points from the purport
  • Brahmā, or the first living being born just after the creation, is the direct son of Nārāyaṇa.
  • Nārāyaṇa, as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, first of all entered the material universe.
  • The Supreme Spirit entered the universe, and the first living being, Brahmā, was born on a lotus flower grown out of the transcendental abdomen of Viṣṇu.

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. bhāra-avatāraṇāyajust to reduce the burden to the world
  2. anyeothers
  3. bhuvaḥof the world
  4. nāvaḥboat
  5. ivalike
  6. udadhauon the sea
  7. sīdantyāḥaggrieved
  8. bhūriextremely
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “material”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does Brahmājī’s prayer help me recognize the limits of my own power?

Practice

Take one minute to offer a prayer to the Lord, acknowledging His supreme power and asking for His help.

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 todayThe Supreme Lord Relieves the World’s BurdenThis 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 1.8.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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