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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 9: The Passing Away of Bhīṣmadeva in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
1.9.141.9.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.9.15

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Bhīṣmadevasince 1.9.12inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

यत्र धर्मसुतो राजा गदापाणिर्वृकोदर: ।

कृष्णोऽस्त्री गाण्डिवं चापं सुहृत्कृष्णस्ततो विपत् ॥ १५ ॥

yatra dharma-suto rājā

gadā-pāṇir vṛkodaraḥ

kṛṣṇo ’strī gāṇḍivaṁ cāpaṁ

suhṛt kṛṣṇas tato vipat

Translation

Oh, how wonderful is the influence of inevitable time! It is irreversible — otherwise, how can there be reverses in the presence of King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of the demigod controlling religion; Bhīma, the great fighter with a club; the great bowman Arjuna with his mighty weapon Gāṇḍīva; and above all, the Lord, the direct well-wisher of the Pāṇḍavas?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Resources Cannot Prevent Every Reversal

  1. 1

    The Pāṇḍavas lacked neither material nor spiritual resources. They had powerful warriors, a religious king and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself as their well-wisher.

  2. 2

    Yet piety, strength, expert management and weapons did not prevent their reverses. Bhīṣmadeva explains these reverses through the influence of inevitable time.

  3. 3

    Kāla is identical with the Lord Himself, and its influence indicates His inexplicable wish. There is nothing to lament when a matter lies beyond human control.

Key points from the purport
  • Spiritually the King himself was the symbol of religion, and above all of them the Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, was personally concerned with their affairs as the well-wisher.
  • Despite the power of pious acts, the power of personalities, the power of expert management and the power of weapons under the direct supervision of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Pāṇḍavas suffered so many practical reverses, which can only be explained as due to the influence of kāla, inevitable time.
  • Kāla is identical with the Lord Himself, and therefore the influence of kāla indicates the inexplicable wish of 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.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.88.8

Even though great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 9: The Passing Away of Bhīṣmadeva in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa

Bhīṣmadeva instructs Yudhiṣṭhira and fixes his attention on Kṛṣṇa as he prepares to pass away.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.9
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatrawhere there is
  2. dharma-sutaḥthe son of Dharmarāja
  3. rājāthe King
  4. gadā-pāṇiḥwith his mighty club in hand
  5. vṛkodaraḥBhīma
  6. kṛṣṇaḥArjuna
  7. astrīcarrier of the weapon
  8. gāṇḍivamGāṇḍīva
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “religion”, “religious”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “king”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “lament”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I expect good conduct and careful planning to protect me from every reversal?

Practice

Identify one outcome you cannot control and pause your repeated worrying about it, remembering the Lord’s supreme control.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayResources Cannot Prevent Every ReversalThis 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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