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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
1.9.301.9.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.9.31

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

विशुद्धया धारणया हताशुभ-

स्तदीक्षयैवाशु गतायुधश्रम: ।

निवृत्तसर्वेन्द्रियवृत्तिविभ्रम-

स्तुष्टाव जन्यं विसृजञ्जनार्दनम् ॥ ३१ ॥

viśuddhayā dhāraṇayā hatāśubhas

tad-īkṣayaivāśu gatā-yudha-śramaḥ

nivṛtta-sarvendriya-vṛtti-vibhramas

tuṣṭāva janyaṁ visṛjañ janārdanam

Translation

By pure meditation, looking at Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he at once was freed from all material inauspiciousness and was relieved of all bodily pains caused by the arrow wounds. Thus all the external activities of his senses at once stopped, and he prayed transcendentally to the controller of all living beings while quitting his material body.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Presence Removes Material Illusion

  1. 1

    Identification with the material body comes from forgetting our eternal relationship with the Lord. Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, and material illusion is like darkness that cannot remain in His presence.

  2. 2

    The soul and senses are originally pure; material contamination makes the senses impure. Through renewed contact with Lord Kṛṣṇa, Bhīṣmadeva became free from contamination and the pain of his arrow wounds.

  3. 3

    The Lord is the controller and benefactor of all living beings and provides their necessities. He supplied everything needed to fulfill Bhīṣmadeva’s transcendental desires as His devotee offered prayers.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, and the illusory, external material energy is like darkness.
  • Therefore, just on the arrival of Lord Kṛṣṇa, all material contamination was completely removed, and Bhīṣmadeva was thus able to be transcendentally situated by stopping the activities of the impure senses in collaboration with matter.
  • By revival of contact with the Supreme Pure, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the senses again become freed from material contaminations.

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 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. viśuddhayāby purified
  2. dhāraṇayāmeditation
  3. hata-aśubhaḥone who has minimized the inauspicious qualities of material existence
  4. tatHim
  5. īkṣayāby looking on
  6. evasimply
  7. āśuimmediately
  8. gatāhaving gone away
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”, “illusion”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “free from”

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 remembering my eternal relationship with the Lord change how I see my body?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, acknowledging Him as your benefactor and remembering your eternal relationship with Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Presence Removes Material IllusionThis 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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