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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 9: The Passing Away of Bhīṣmadeva in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
1.9.171.9.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.9.18

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Bhīṣmadevasince 1.9.12inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

एष वै भगवान्साक्षादाद्यो नारायण: पुमान् ।

मोहयन्मायया लोकं गूढश्चरति वृष्णिषु ॥ १८ ॥

eṣa vai bhagavān sākṣād

ādyo nārāyaṇaḥ pumān

mohayan māyayā lokaṁ

gūḍhaś carati vṛṣṇiṣu

Translation

This Śrī Kṛṣṇa is no other than the inconceivable, original Personality of Godhead. He is the first Nārāyaṇa, the supreme enjoyer. But He is moving amongst the descendants of King Vṛṣṇi just like one of us, and He is bewildering us with His self-created energy.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Is the Original Lord

  1. 1

    Vedic knowledge is received through disciplic succession from authorities. Bhīṣmadeva authoritatively identifies Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the original Personality of Godhead and the first Nārāyaṇa.

  2. 2

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the source of all His plenary expansions and is beyond the material creation. His movement among human beings does not make Him an ordinary person.

  3. 3

    The Lord accepts transcendental loving service and appears in the material world to reestablish His forgotten relationship with living beings. By His mercy, great authorities like Bhīṣma escape bewilderment about Him.

Key points from the purport
  • Here is an authority speaking about Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the original Personality of Godhead and the first Nārāyaṇa.
  • All other ācāryas have also confirmed this statement, and thus there is no chance of not accepting Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the original Personality of Godhead.
  • In the spiritual world (Vaikuṇṭha) there are unlimited numbers of Nārāyaṇas, who are all the same Personality of Godhead and are considered to be the plenary expansions of the original Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

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

The purport of SB 1.9.18 quotesSB 10.14.14

This is also confirmed by Brahmājī in the Bhāgavatam (10.14.14).

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. eṣaḥthis
  2. vaipositively
  3. bhagavānthe Personality of Godhead
  4. sākṣātoriginal
  5. ādyaḥthe first
  6. nārāyaṇaḥthe Supreme Lord (who lies down on the water)
  7. pumānthe supreme enjoyer
  8. mohayanbewildering
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “king”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “mercy”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “material”

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

How does accepting Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the original Personality of Godhead shape my desire to serve Him?

Practice

Read the translation again slowly, then offer a brief prayer asking for mercy to understand and serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 10.14.14

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 1.9's connections

Live this todayŚrī Kṛṣṇa Is the Original 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 1.9.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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