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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
1.8.361.8.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.37

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

अप्यद्य नस्त्वं स्वकृतेहित प्रभो

जिहाससि स्वित्सुहृदोऽनुजीविन: ।

येषां न चान्यद्भवत: पदाम्बुजात्

परायणं राजसु योजितांहसाम् ॥ ३७ ॥

apy adya nas tvaṁ sva-kṛtehita prabho

jihāsasi svit suhṛdo ’nujīvinaḥ

yeṣāṁ na cānyad bhavataḥ padāmbujāt

parāyaṇaṁ rājasu yojitāṁhasām

Translation

O my Lord, You have executed all duties Yourself. Are you leaving us today, though we are completely dependent on Your mercy and have no one else to protect us, now when all kings are at enmity with us?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Work With Valor, Depend on the Lord

  1. 1

    Complete dependence on the Lord’s mercy is great fortune, not misfortune. The attempt to become independent of Him is the material disease.

  2. 2

    The Pāṇḍavas depended entirely on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but they were not idle. They were highly qualified in character and activity, working with valor while looking for His mercy.

  3. 3

    The perfection of life is to depend on the Lord’s will rather than seek false independence. Kuntīdevī felt separation from Him like a thunderbolt and prayed that He would stay.

Key points from the purport
  • In the material world, to be dependent on the mercy of someone else is the utmost sign of misfortune, but in the case of our transcendental relation with the Lord, it is the most fortunate case when we can live completely dependent on Him.
  • The perfection of life is, therefore, to become dependent on the will of the Lord, instead of becoming falsely independent in the material world.
  • It is not only the Pāṇḍavas who were put into the condition of enmity, but all of us are always in such a condition, and the best way of living is to become completely dependent on the will of the Lord and thereby overcome all difficulties of material existence.

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. apiif
  2. adyatoday
  3. naḥus
  4. tvamYou
  5. sva-kṛtaself-executed
  6. īhitaall duties
  7. prabhoO my Lord
  8. jihāsasigiving up
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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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “mercy”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

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

    In this verse: “protect”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “duties”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I work earnestly today while remaining dependent on the Lord’s mercy?

Practice

Before one duty today, briefly pray for the Lord’s guidance, then carry out that duty with care.

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.

1 lecture 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 todayWork With Valor, Depend on the LordThis 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 1.8.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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