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

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Canto 2 · The Cosmic Manifestation · 10 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 2 · Chapter 3: Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart
2.3.142.3.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.3.15

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śaunaka Ṛṣisince 2.3.13inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

स वै भागवतो राजा पाण्डवेयो महारथ: ।

बालक्रीडनकै: क्रीडन् कृष्णक्रीडां य आददे ॥ १५ ॥

sa vai bhāgavato rājā

pāṇḍaveyo mahā-rathaḥ

bāla-krīḍanakaiḥ krīḍan

kṛṣṇa-kṛīḍāṁ ya ādade

Translation

Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the grandson of the Pāṇḍavas, was from his very childhood a great devotee of the Lord. Even while playing with dolls, he used to worship Lord Kṛṣṇa by imitating the worship of the family Deity.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Association Nurtures Love for Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Parīkṣit was devoted to Lord Kṛṣṇa from early childhood. Even his play included imitating the worship of the family Deity.

  2. 2

    A devotional family gives children opportunities to become familiar with service to Kṛṣṇa. The example and encouragement of elders can nourish this inclination.

  3. 3

    Some devotees are liberated from birth, while others develop devotional service through association. In the ultimate result there is no difference: everyone can become perfected through association with pure devotees.

Key points from the purport
  • But Mahārāja Parīkṣit was more than that because he had been a great devotee of the Lord since his previous birth, and as such he took his birth in an imperial family of the Kurus, and especially that of the Pāṇḍavas.
  • So from the very beginning of his childhood he had the chance to know intimately the devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa in his own family.
  • By the grace of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, we had the chance of being born in a Vaiṣṇava family, and in our childhood we imitated the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa by imitating our father.

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· 1

The purport of SB 2.3.15 quotesBG 6.41

In the Bhagavad-gītā (6.41) it is stated that even a person who has failed in the proper discharge of yoga practice is given a chance to take birth in the house of devout brāhmaṇas or in the houses of rich men like kṣatriya kings or rich merchants.

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

Death anxiety → Steady attention. The answer to mortality begins with spiritual focus.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 2: The practice of hearing, remembering and devotion. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 3: Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart

Everyone should worship the Supreme Lord and engage the senses in devotion that changes the heart.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.3
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥhe
  2. vaicertainly
  3. bhāgavataḥa great devotee of the Lord
  4. rājāMahārāja Parīkṣit
  5. pāṇḍaveyaḥgrandson of the Pāṇḍavas
  6. mahā-rathaḥa great fighter
  7. bālawhile a child
  8. krīḍanakaiḥwith play dolls
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.3

    In this verse: “devotee”, “worship”, “devotional service”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 2.3

    In this verse: “childhood”

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 devotional example am I receiving from others, and what example am I offering?

Practice

Spend a few minutes today learning from a pure devotee’s example of worshiping Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

2 lectures given on it · quoted in 1 more lecture. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 1 other lecture

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

7

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 2.3's connections

Live this todayDevotional Association Nurtures Love for KṛṣṇaThis 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 2.3.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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