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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
1.9.291.9.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.9.30

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.9.25inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

तदोपसंहृत्य गिर: सहस्रणी-

र्विमुक्तसङ्गं मन आदिपूरुषे ।

कृष्णे लसत्पीतपटे चतुर्भुजे

पुर:स्थितेऽमीलितद‍ृग्व्यधारयत् ॥ ३० ॥

tadopasaṁhṛtya giraḥ sahasraṇīr

vimukta-saṅgaṁ mana ādi-pūruṣe

kṛṣṇe lasat-pīta-paṭe catur-bhuje

puraḥ sthite ’mīlita-dṛg vyadhārayat

Translation

Thereupon that man who spoke on different subjects with thousands of meanings, and who fought on thousands of battlefields and protected thousands of men, stopped speaking and, being completely freed from all bondage, withdrew his mind from everything else and fixed his wide-open eyes upon the original Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who stood before him, four-handed, dressed in yellow garments that glittered and shined.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Fix the Mind on Śrī Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Bhīṣmadeva stopped speaking, withdrew his mind from everything else and fixed his open eyes on Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Before him stood the original Personality of Godhead, four-handed and dressed in shining yellow garments.

  2. 2

    What attracts a person’s mind at death becomes the beginning of the next life. Absorption in the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa leads one back to Godhead.

  3. 3

    Bhīṣmadeva wanted to see Kṛṣṇa out of spontaneous love, not merely to perform detailed yogic practices. Simple bhakti-yoga is enough to bring perfection.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore, if one is absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he is sure to go back to Godhead without any doubt.
  • 10: One who, at the time of death, fixes his life air between the eyebrows and in full devotion engages himself in remembering the Supreme Lord will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Śrī Bhīṣmadeva attained the perfection of quitting his body at will and was fortunate enough to have Lord Kṛṣṇa, the object of his attention, personally present at the time of death.

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 1.9.30 quotesBG 8.5

This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.5-15): 5: And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body remembering Me alone at once attains My nature.

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. tadāat that time
  2. upasaṁhṛtyawithdrawing
  3. giraḥspeech
  4. sahasraṇīḥBhīṣmadeva (who was expert in thousands of sciences and arts)
  5. vimukta-saṅgamcompletely freed from everything else
  6. manaḥmind
  7. ādi-pūruṣeunto the original Personality of Godhead
  8. kṛṣṇeunto Kṛṣṇa
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “protected”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “bhakti-yoga”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “death”

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 can I remember Kṛṣṇa while carrying out my daily duties?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute remembering Śrī Kṛṣṇa as described in this verse, then dedicate your next duty to Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFix the Mind on Śrī KṛṣṇaThis 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 1.9.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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