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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.
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Canto 1 · Chapter 9: The Passing Away of Bhīṣmadeva in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
1.9.431.9.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.9.44

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.9.43inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

सम्पद्यमानमाज्ञाय भीष्मं ब्रह्मणि निष्कले ।

सर्वे बभूवुस्ते तूष्णीं वयांसीव दिनात्यये ॥ ४४ ॥

sampadyamānam ājñāya

bhīṣmaṁ brahmaṇi niṣkale

sarve babhūvus te tūṣṇīṁ

vayāṁsīva dinātyaye

Translation

Knowing that Bhīṣmadeva had merged into the unlimited eternity of the Supreme Absolute, all present there became silent like birds at the end of the day.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Return Home to Loving Service

  1. 1

    Entering the unlimited eternity of the Supreme Absolute means returning to the living being’s original home. As parts and parcels of the Personality of Godhead, living beings are eternally related to Him as servants.

  2. 2

    Devotional service revives this original position through practice. Devotees enter the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where they live in freedom while rendering loving service to the Lord.

  3. 3

    Bhīṣmadeva entered a Vaikuṇṭha planet where the Lord’s eternal form of Pārtha-sārathi predominates. His unfailing remembrance and the Lord’s personal presence at his departure reveal the love binding the Lord and His devotee.

Key points from the purport
  • To enter into or to become merged into the unlimited eternity of the Supreme Absolute means to enter the original home of the living being.
  • The living beings who are in the material world are all disintegrated parts and parcels of the supreme whole, and they are no longer as important as the original parts and parcels.
  • Bhīṣmadeva, as a pure devotee of the Lord, entered the spiritual realm in one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets where the Lord in His eternal form of Pārtha-sārathi predominates over the unconditioned living beings who are constantly engaged in the service 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. sampadyamānamhaving merged into
  2. ājñāyaafter knowing this
  3. bhīṣmamabout Śrī Bhīṣmadeva
  4. brahmaṇiinto the Supreme Absolute
  5. niṣkaleunlimited
  6. sarveall present
  7. babhūvuḥ teall of them became
  8. tūṣṇīmsilent
  9. vayāṁsi ivalike birds
  10. dina-atyayeat the end of the day
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotees”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 1.9

    In this verse: “love”

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 seeing loving service as your original position mean for your life today?

Practice

Before one act of devotional service today, pause and remember: “I am eternally related to the Lord as His servant.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReturn Home to 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 1.9.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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