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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
1.8.481.8.50

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.49

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhirasince 1.8.48inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

बालद्विजसुहृन्मित्रपितृभ्रातृगुरुद्रुह: ।

न मे स्यान्निरयान्मोक्षो ह्यपि वर्षायुतायुतै: ॥ ४९ ॥

bāla-dvija-suhṛn-mitra-

pitṛ-bhrātṛ-guru-druhaḥ

na me syān nirayān mokṣo

hy api varṣāyutāyutaiḥ

Translation

I have killed many boys, brāhmaṇas, well-wishers, friends, parents, preceptors and brothers. Though I live millions of years, I will not be relieved from the hell that awaits me for all these sins.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize the Terrible Cost of War

  1. 1

    War brings the massacre of innocent living beings, including boys, brāhmaṇas and women. The purport states that killing them is forbidden in all circumstances.

  2. 2

    Friends, parents and preceptors had stood on both sides of the battle and were killed. Yudhiṣṭhira found it horrible to think of these deaths.

  3. 3

    The King feared that millions and billions of years in hell awaited him. This expresses the depth of his anguish over the killings.

Key points from the purport
  • Whenever there is a war, there is certainly a massacre of many innocent living beings, such as boys, brāhmaṇas and women, whose killing is considered to be the greatest of sins.
  • Similarly, there were friends, parents and preceptors also on both sides, and all of them were killed.
  • It was simply horrible for him to think of such killing, and therefore he was thinking of residing in hell for millions and billions of years.

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. bālaboys
  2. dvi-jathe twice-born
  3. suhṛtwell-wishers
  4. mitrafriends
  5. pitṛparents
  6. bhrātṛbrothers
  7. gurupreceptors
  8. druhaḥone who has killed
3

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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “feared”, “deaths”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “friends”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 1.8

    In this verse: “sins”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I consider the suffering of innocent people when I think about conflict?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute reflecting on the innocent lives harmed by war, rather than thinking only of victory or defeat.

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 · quoted in 1 more lecture. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 1 other lecture

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayRecognize the Terrible Cost of WarThis 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 1.8.49? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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