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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
1.9.351.9.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.9.36

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Bhīṣmadevasince 1.9.32inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

व्यवहितपृतनामुखं निरीक्ष्य

स्वजनवधाद्विमुखस्य दोषबुद्ध्या ।

कुमतिमहरदात्मविद्यया य-

श्चरणरति: परमस्य तस्य मेऽस्तु ॥ ३६ ॥

vyavahita-pṛtanā-mukhaṁ nirīkṣya

sva-jana-vadhād vimukhasya doṣa-buddhyā

kumatim aharad ātma-vidyayā yaś

caraṇa-ratiḥ paramasya tasya me ’stu

Translation

When Arjuna was seemingly polluted by ignorance upon observing the soldiers and commanders before him on the battlefield, the Lord eradicated his ignorance by delivering transcendental knowledge. May His lotus feet always remain the object of my attraction.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Knowledge Restores Our Eternal Relationship

  1. 1

    Arjuna’s reluctance to fight arose from compassion for his kinsmen, not fear of the opposing army. As a merciful devotee, he naturally felt renunciation toward worldly possessions.

  2. 2

    Arjuna’s intelligence only appeared polluted. His apparent confusion provided the occasion for Kṛṣṇa to deliver the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā for conditioned souls.

  3. 3

    Bhagavad-gītā frees us from wrongly identifying the body with the soul and reestablishes the soul’s eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. Bhīṣmadeva therefore desires lasting attraction to His lotus feet.

Key points from the purport
  • The kings and the commanders were to stand in the front of the fighting soldiers.
  • But this was due to a poor fund of knowledge, and therefore it is said here that his intelligence became polluted.
  • His intelligence could not be polluted at any time because he was a devotee and constant companion of the Lord, as is clear in the Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā.

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. vyavahitastanding at a distance
  2. pṛtanāsoldiers
  3. mukhamfaces
  4. nirīkṣyaby looking upon
  5. sva-janakinsmen
  6. vadhātfrom the act of killing
  7. vimukhasyaone who is reluctant
  8. doṣa-buddhyāby polluted intelligence
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “compassion”

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 might remembering that I am a soul, not the body, change what I seek from Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Reread the translation and pray for knowledge that strengthens your eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Knowledge Restores Our Eternal RelationshipThis 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 1.9.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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