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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
1.9.381.9.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.9.39

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

विजयरथकुटुम्ब आत्ततोत्रे

धृतहयरश्मिनि तच्छ्रियेक्षणीये ।

भगवति रतिरस्तु मे मुमूर्षो-

र्यमिह निरीक्ष्य हता गता: स्वरूपम् ॥ ३९ ॥

vijaya-ratha-kuṭumbha ātta-totre

dhṛta-haya-raśmini tac-chriyekṣaṇīye

bhagavati ratir astu me mumūrṣor

yam iha nirīkṣya hatā gatāḥ sva-rūpam

Translation

At the moment of death, let my ultimate attraction be to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. I concentrate my mind upon the chariot driver of Arjuna who stood with a whip in His right hand and a bridle rope in His left, who was very careful to give protection to Arjuna’s chariot by all means. Those who saw Him on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra attained their original forms after death.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember Kṛṣṇa Through Loving Service

  1. 1

    A pure devotee naturally remembers the Lord through pure love and spontaneous affection. Remembering His personal form, holy name, fame and pastimes brings the devotee into samādhi, or trance.

  2. 2

    Bhīṣmadeva constantly remembered Kṛṣṇa as Pārtha-sārathi, the chariot driver protecting Arjuna. This pastime and the Lord’s relationship with His eternal companions are eternal.

  3. 3

    By Kṛṣṇa’s causeless mercy, those who saw Him on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra attained their original spiritual forms after death. Remembering the Personality of Godhead at death leads to this highest perfection.

Key points from the purport
  • Bhīṣmadeva was a pure devotee, and as a military marshal he constantly remembered the battlefield feature of the Lord as Pārtha-sārathi, the chariot driver of Arjuna.
  • So Bhīṣmadeva never forgot the beautiful feature of the Lord as Pārtha-sārathi, which even Arjuna could not see.
  • All the soldiers and persons on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra attained their original spiritual form like the Lord after their death because by the causeless mercy of the Lord they were able to see Him face to face on that occasion.

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· 3

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.29.10-11

‘I concentrate upon the chariot driver of Arjuna, who stood with a whip in His right hand and a bridle rope in His left, and who was very careful to protect Arjuna’s chariot by all means.’

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.87.50

In the words of Śrī Bhīṣmadeva, yam iha nirīkṣya hatā gatāḥ svarūpam: “Those who simply saw Kṛṣṇa on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra attained their original forms after being killed.”

Quoted in the purport ofSB 11.1.2

But as described in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.9.39) by the words hatā gatāḥ svarūpam, many great devotees played with the Lord as enemies and upon being killed by Kṛṣṇa returned immediately to His abode in the spiritual sky in their original spiritual bodies.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vijayaArjuna
  2. rathachariot
  3. kuṭumbethe object of protection at all risk
  4. ātta-totrewith a whip in the right hand
  5. dhṛta-hayacontrolling the horses
  6. raśminiropes
  7. tat-śriyābeautifully standing
  8. īkṣaṇīyeto look at
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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

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

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

    In this verse: “protection”, “protecting”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”

  • 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.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What draws your affection toward Kṛṣṇa as the protector of His devotee?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute remembering Kṛṣṇa holding the whip and bridle rope while carefully protecting Arjuna’s chariot.

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.

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

Live this todayRemember Kṛṣṇa Through Loving ServiceThis 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 1.9.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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