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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
1.9.371.9.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.9.38

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

शितविशिखहतो विशीर्णदंश:

क्षतजपरिप्लुत आततायिनो मे ।

प्रसभमभिससार मद्वधार्थं

स भवतु मे भगवान् गतिर्मुकुन्द: ॥ ३८ ॥

śita-viśikha-hato viśīrṇa-daṁśaḥ

kṣataja-paripluta ātatāyino me

prasabham abhisasāra mad-vadhārthaṁ

sa bhavatu me bhagavān gatir mukundaḥ

Translation

May He, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who awards salvation, be my ultimate destination. On the battlefield He charged me, as if angry because of the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows. His shield was scattered, and His body was smeared with blood due to the wounds.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Make the Personal Lord Your Ultimate Destination

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is unconquerable and cannot be harmed. Yet He can accept loving service from a pure devotee even when that devotee plays the part of an enemy.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s apparent anger and wounds were meant to please Bhīṣmadeva, not express ordinary enmity. His all-spiritual body cannot be wounded, and His pure devotee cannot truly become His enemy.

  3. 3

    The Lord awards salvation, but Bhīṣmadeva desires the Lord Himself as his ultimate destination. Pure devotees aspire to see His personal feature and exchange loving service with Him.

Key points from the purport
  • The dealings of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Bhīṣmadeva on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra are interesting because the activities of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared to be partial to Arjuna and at enmity with Bhīṣmadeva; but factually all this was especially meant to show special favor to Bhīṣmadeva, a great devotee of the Lord.
  • The astounding feature of such dealings is that a devotee can please the Lord by playing the part of an enemy.
  • The all-spiritual body cannot be wounded, and a devotee cannot become the enemy of the Lord.

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. śitasharp
  2. viśikhaarrows
  3. hataḥwounded by
  4. viśīrṇa-daṁśaḥscattered shield
  5. kṣatajaby wounds
  6. pariplutaḥsmeared with blood
  7. ātatāyinaḥthe great aggressor
  8. memy
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

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

What does it mean for me to seek Kṛṣṇa Himself rather than only salvation from Him?

Practice

Offer a short prayer asking that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa be your ultimate destination and that you may serve Him with devotion.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMake the Personal Lord Your Ultimate DestinationThis 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 1.9.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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