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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 9: Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version
2.9.182.9.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.9.19

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.9.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तं प्रीयमाणं समुपस्थितं कविं

प्रजाविसर्गे निजशासनार्हणम् ।

बभाष ईषत्स्मितशोचिषा गिरा

प्रिय: प्रियं प्रीतमना: करे स्पृशन् ॥ १९ ॥

taṁ prīyamāṇaṁ samupasthitaṁ kaviṁ

prajā-visarge nija-śāsanārhaṇam

babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śociṣā girā

priyaḥ priyaṁ prīta-manāḥ kare spṛśan

Translation

And seeing Brahmā present before Him, the Lord accepted him as worthy to create living beings, to be controlled as He desired, and thus being much satisfied with him, the Lord shook hands with Brahmā and, slightly smiling, addressed him thus.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Help Others Remember Their Lord

  1. 1

    Material creation is not blind or accidental. It gives conditioned souls a chance for liberation under the guidance of the Lord’s representative.

  2. 2

    The Lord instructs Brahmā in Vedic knowledge so that forgetful souls can recover their relationship with Him. Brahmā is very dear to the Lord because he accepts this responsibility.

  3. 3

    Those who faithfully spread the Lord’s mission in the Brahma sampradāya help souls return home to Godhead. The Lord is greatly pleased with this service, not with teachings that increase forgetfulness of Him.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord instructs Brahmā in Vedic knowledge in order to diffuse this knowledge to the conditioned souls.
  • Lord Brahmā has a great responsibility in delivering the conditioned souls, and therefore he is very dear to the Lord.
  • Anyone, however, preaching the mission of the Lord in the line of the Brahma sampradāya is always dear to the Lord, and the Lord, being satisfied with such a preacher of the authorized bhakti cult, shakes hands with him in great satisfaction.

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

Inquiry → Conviction. Divine knowledge resolves fundamental cosmic uncertainty.

Chapters 8–10 of Canto 2: Parīkṣit questions; Brahmā receives revelation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 9: Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version

The Lord receives Brahmā, explains His eternal existence, and instructs him to remain fixed and free from pride.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.9
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tamunto Lord Brahmā
  2. prīyamāṇamworthy of being dear
  3. samupasthitampresent before
  4. kavimthe great scholar
  5. prajāliving entities
  6. visargein the matter of creation
  7. nijaHis own
  8. śāsanacontrol
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.9

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.9

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do my words help others remember the Lord or become more forgetful of Him?

Practice

Share one teaching from this passage with someone willing to hear, keeping its message faithful to the text.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHelp Others Remember Their LordThis 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 2.9.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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