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

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.1.36

Who is speaking and story frame

स एवमपरिमितबलपराक्रम एकदा तु देवर्षिचरणानुशयनानुपतितगुणविसर्गसंसर्गेणानिर्वृतमिवात्मानं मन्यमान आत्मनिर्वेद इदमाह ॥ ३६ ॥

sa evam aparimita-bala-parākrama ekadā tu devarṣi-caraṇānuśayanānu-patita-guṇa-visarga-saṁsargeṇānirvṛtam ivātmānaṁ manyamāna ātma-nirveda idam āha.

Translation

While enjoying his material opulences with full strength and influence, Mahārāja Priyavrata once began to consider that although he had fully surrendered to the great saint Nārada and was actually on the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he had somehow become again entangled in material activities. Thus his mind now became restless, and he began to speak in a spirit of renunciation.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Progress Is Never Lost

  1. 1

    Engagement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a permanent asset. Even if immature understanding interrupts one’s progress, that progress can become manifest again.

  2. 2

    Priyavrata’s desire to serve Kṛṣṇa reawakened by the grace of his spiritual master, Nārada. Offering obeisances and carefully following the spiritual master’s directions help a student advance.

  3. 3

    Both wealth and poverty are creations of the modes of material nature. Material opulence did not free Priyavrata from material influence or satisfy his desire for spiritual life.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore, after having described the material opulences of Mahārāja Priyavrata, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, in this verse, describes his tendency for renunciation.
  • The words devarṣi-caraṇānuśayana indicate that Mahārāja Priyavrata, having fully surrendered to the great sage Devarṣi Nārada, was strictly following all the devotional processes and regulative principles under his direction.
  • It is not that Mahārāja Priyavrata was freed from material influence because he possessed all material opulences.

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· 3

The purport of SB 5.1.36 quotesSB 1.5.17

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.17) it is said: “One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful.

The purport of SB 5.1.36 quotesBG 6.41

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (6.41), śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo ’bhijāyate.

The purport of SB 5.1.36 quotesBG 3.27

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (3.27), prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ.

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

Responsibility → Renunciation. Leadership is set beside the renounced ideal.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 5: Priyavrata and Ṛṣabhadeva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Of the ten sons of Priyavrata, three sons named Kavi, Mahāvīra and Savana accepted sannyāsa, the fourth order of life, and the remaining seven sons became the rulers of the seven islands. Mahārāja Priyavrata also had a second wife, in whom he begot three sons named Uttama, Raivata and Tāmasa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.1
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥhe (Mahārāja Priyavrata)
  2. evamthus
  3. aparimitaunparalleled
  4. balastrength
  5. parākramaḥwhose influence
  6. ekadāonce upon a time
  7. tuthen
  8. deva-ṛṣiof the great saint Nārada
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.1

    In this verse: “material”, “wealth”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 5.1

    In this verse: “surrendered”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.1

    In this verse: “understanding”

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 devotional practice could I resume, trusting that my earlier effort has not been lost?

Practice

Spend five minutes today returning to a devotional practice you have neglected.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 1.5.17

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.1's connections

Live this todayDevotional Progress Is Never LostThis 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 5.1.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.