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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

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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
1.9.31.9.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.9.4

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.9.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

द‍ृष्ट्वा निपतितं भूमौ दिवश्‍च्युतमिवामरम् ।

प्रणेमु: पाण्डवा भीष्मं सानुगा: सह चक्रिणा ॥ ४ ॥

dṛṣṭvā nipatitaṁ bhūmau

divaś cyutam ivāmaram

praṇemuḥ pāṇḍavā bhīṣmaṁ

sānugāḥ saha cakriṇā

Translation

Seeing him [Bhīṣma] lying on the ground, like a demigod fallen from the sky, the Pāṇḍava King Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his younger brothers and Lord Kṛṣṇa, bowed down before him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Honors His Elder

  1. 1

    Yudhiṣṭhira, his younger brothers and Lord Kṛṣṇa bowed before Bhīṣmadeva as he lay on the ground.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa was Yudhiṣṭhira’s younger cousin and Arjuna’s intimate friend. Yet all the Pāṇḍava family members knew Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    Although aware of His supreme position, the Lord followed human customs. He bowed before Bhīṣmadeva as if He were one of Yudhiṣṭhira’s younger brothers.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa was also a younger cousin of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira as well as the intimate friend of Arjuna.
  • But all the family members of the Pāṇḍavas knew Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • The Lord, although conscious of His supreme position, always behaved in a humanly custom, and so He also bowed down before the dying Bhīṣmadeva as if He were one of the younger brothers of King Yudhiṣṭhira.

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. dṛṣṭvāthus seeing
  2. nipatitamlying down
  3. bhūmauon the ground
  4. divaḥfrom the sky
  5. cyutamfallen
  6. ivalike
  7. amaramdemigod
  8. praṇemuḥbowed down
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “king”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “friend”

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 Kṛṣṇa’s example teach me about showing respect without concern for my own position?

Practice

Offer a respectful greeting to an elder today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Honors His ElderThis 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 1.9.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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