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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
1.8.461.8.48

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.47

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.8.44inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

आह राजा धर्मसुतश्चिन्तयन् सुहृदां वधम् ।

प्राकृतेनात्मना विप्रा: स्‍नेहमोहवशं गत: ॥ ४७ ॥

āha rājā dharma-sutaś

cintayan suhṛdāṁ vadham

prākṛtenātmanā viprāḥ

sneha-moha-vaśaṁ gataḥ

Translation

King Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Dharma, overwhelmed by the death of his friends, was aggrieved just like a common, materialistic man. O sages, thus deluded by affection, he began to speak.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Soul Is Beyond the Body

  1. 1

    The living entity is neither the body nor the mind, but is beyond the material conception of life. The body is only an external dress of the living soul.

  2. 2

    Everyone is bound to carry out their occupational duties. A kṣatriya must fight for a right cause, regardless of who stands on the opposite side.

  3. 3

    Yudhiṣṭhira knew these truths, yet by the Lord’s will he became overwhelmed by worldly affection. The Lord intended that he receive instruction from Bhīṣma.

Key points from the purport
  • King Yudhiṣṭhira, though he was not expected to become aggrieved like a common man, became deluded by worldly affection by the will of the Lord (just as Arjuna was apparently deluded).
  • The common man thinks of violence and nonviolence in terms of the body, but that is a kind of delusion.
  • All this was perfectly known to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, but by the will of the Lord he became just like a common man because there was another great idea behind this delusion: the King would be instructed by Bhīṣma as Arjuna was instructed by the Lord Himself.

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. āhasaid
  2. rājāKing Yudhiṣṭhira
  3. dharma-sutaḥthe son of Dharma (Yamarāja)
  4. cintayanthinking of
  5. suhṛdāmof the friends
  6. vadhamkilling
  7. prākṛtenaby material conception only
  8. ātmanāby the self
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “materialistic”, “material”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

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

    In this verse: “dharma”, “duties”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “death”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might remembering that I am not the body or mind change my understanding of duty?

Practice

Take one quiet minute to reflect on the purport’s teaching that the body is the soul’s external dress.

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 todayThe Soul Is Beyond the BodyThis 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.

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