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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 7: Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions
2.7.172.7.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.7.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 2.7.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Brahmā → Nārada Muni

नार्थो बलेरयमुरुक्रमपादशौच-

माप: शिखाधृतवतो विबुधाधिपत्यम् ।

यो वै प्रतिश्रुतमृते न चिकीर्षदन्य-

दात्मानमङ्ग मनसा हरयेऽभिमेने ॥ १८ ॥

nārtho baler ayam urukrama-pāda-śaucam

āpaḥ śikhā-dhṛtavato vibudhādhipatyam

yo vai pratiśrutam ṛte na cikīrṣad anyad

ātmānam aṅga manasā haraye ’bhimene

Translation

Bali Mahārāja, who put on his head the water washed from the lotus feet of the Lord, did not think of anything besides his promise, in spite of being forbidden by his spiritual master. The king dedicated his own personal body to fulfill the measurement of the Lord’s third step. For such a personality, even the kingdom of heaven, which he conquered by his strength, was of no value.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Exchange Temporary Possessions for Eternal Service

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja was not a loser by sacrificing his kingdom. He gained the Lord’s transcendental favor and a place in Vaikuṇṭhaloka.

  2. 2

    Material possessions cannot remain with us permanently. Their best use is to engage them in the service of the Lord.

  3. 3

    One should practice possessing only what is needed and avoid creating artificial needs. Through bhakti-yoga, one attains permanent existence in loving service to the Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • Bali Mahārāja, by gaining the transcendental favor of the Lord in exchange for his great material sacrifice, was able to have a place in Vaikuṇṭhaloka with equal or greater facilities of eternal enjoyment; therefore he was not at all the loser by sacrificing the kingdom of heaven, which he had possessed by his material strength.
  • Bali Mahārāja accepted this civilization of the soul in exchange for his great material possessions and thus became fit for promotion to the kingdom of God.
  • Those who have attained the comforts of a material civilization made for sense gratification should try to attain the kingdom of God by following in the footsteps of Bali Mahārāja, who exchanged his acquired material strength, adopting the process of bhakti-yoga as recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā and further explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

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 2.7.18 quotesBG 15.5

In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.5-6) the paraṁ dhāma of the Lord is described as follows:

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

Uncertainty → Awe. The scale of reality widens dramatically.

Chapters 4–7 of Canto 2: The creation, cosmic Person and incarnations. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 7: Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions

Brahmā recounts the Lord’s incarnations and explains that unalloyed surrender enables one to understand Him.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.7
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanever
  2. arthaḥof any value in comparison with
  3. baleḥof strength
  4. ayamthis
  5. urukrama-pāda-śaucamthe water washed from the feet of the Personality of Godhead
  6. āpaḥwater
  7. śikhā-dhṛtavataḥof one who has kept it on his head
  8. vibudha-adhipatyamsupremacy over the kingdom of the demigods
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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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “king”, “kingdom”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “bhakti-yoga”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “favor”

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

Which possession or artificial need most distracts me from serving the Lord?

Practice

Skip one unnecessary purchase today, remembering that temporary possessions are best used in the Lord’s service.

5

The story around it

The stories 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 2.7's connections

Live this todayExchange Temporary Possessions for Eternal 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 2.7.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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