1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 2 · The Cosmic Manifestation · 10 chapters

12345678910

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
2.7.272.7.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.7.28

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
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

यद् वै व्रजे व्रजपशून् विषतोयपीतान्

पालांस्त्वजीवयदनुग्रहद‍ृष्टिवृष्टय‍ा ।

तच्छुद्धयेऽतिविषवीर्यविलोलजिह्व-

मुच्चाटयिष्यदुरगं विहरन् ह्रदिन्याम् ॥ २८ ॥

yad vai vraje vraja-paśūn viṣatoya-pītān

pālāṁs tv ajīvayad anugraha-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyā

tac-chuddhaye ’ti-viṣa-vīrya-vilola-jihvam

uccāṭayiṣyad uragaṁ viharan hradinyām

Translation

Then also when the cowherd boys and their animals drank the poisoned water of the river Yamunā, and after the Lord [in His childhood] revived them by His merciful glance, just to purify the water of the river Yamunā He jumped into it as if playing and chastised the venomous Kāliya snake, which was lurking there, its tongue emitting waves of poison. Who can perform such herculean tasks but the Supreme Lord?

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Merciful Glance Restores Life

  1. 1

    The cowherd boys and their animals drank the poisoned water of the Yamunā. The Lord revived them with His merciful glance.

  2. 2

    To purify the river, the Lord jumped into it as if playing. He chastised the venomous Kāliya snake, whose tongue emitted waves of poison.

  3. 3

    These extraordinary deeds reveal the Lord’s supreme power. Such tasks cannot be performed by anyone other than the Supreme Lord.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatone who
  2. vaicertainly
  3. vrajeat Vṛndāvana
  4. vraja-paśūnthe animals thereof
  5. viṣa-toyapoisoned water
  6. pītānthose who drank
  7. pālānthe cowherd men
  8. tualso
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “merciful”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “cowherd boys”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “childhood”

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 touches me most about the Lord’s mercy toward the cowherd boys and their animals?

Practice

Offer a short prayer of appreciation for the Lord’s life-restoring mercy described in this verse.

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 todayThe Lord’s Merciful Glance Restores LifeThis 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 2.7.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories