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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 ›
Canto 5 · Chapter 10: The Discussion Between Jaḍa Bharata and Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa
5.10.215.10.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.10.22

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Rahūgaṇasince 5.10.22inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitJaḍa Bharata → King Rahūgaṇa

स्थाल्यग्नितापात्पयसोऽभिताप-

स्तत्तापतस्तण्डुलगर्भरन्धि: ।

देहेन्द्रियास्वाशयसन्निकर्षात्

तत्संसृति: पुरुषस्यानुरोधात् ॥ २२ ॥

sthāly-agni-tāpāt payaso ’bhitāpas

tat-tāpatas taṇḍula-garbha-randhiḥ

dehendriyāsvāśaya-sannikarṣāt

tat-saṁsṛtiḥ puruṣasyānurodhāt

Translation

King Rahūgaṇa continued: My dear sir, you have said that designations like bodily fatness and thinness are not characteristics of the soul. That is incorrect because designations like pain and pleasure are certainly felt by the soul. You may put a pot of milk and rice within fire, and the milk and rice are automatically heated one after the other. Similarly, due to bodily pains and pleasures, the senses, mind and soul are affected. The soul cannot be completely detached from this conditioning.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Attachment Connects Us to Bodily Distress

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa’s argument is correct from the practical point of view, but it arises from attachment to the bodily conception.

  2. 2

    A car’s owner is different from the car, yet feels pain when it is damaged because of attachment. Withdrawing that attachment changes the owner’s experience.

  3. 3

    Similarly, the soul is distinct from the body and senses. Through ignorance, the soul identifies with the body and feels its pleasure and pain.

Key points from the purport
  • Actually, the damage done to the car has nothing to do with the car’s proprietor, but because the proprietor has identified himself with the interest of the car, he feels pleasure and pain connected with it.
  • Then the proprietor would not feel pleasure or pain if the car is damaged or whatever.
  • Similarly, the soul has nothing to do with the body and the senses, but due to ignorance, he identifies himself with the body, and he feels pleasure and pain due to bodily pleasure and pain.

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

Misjudgment → Humility and insight. Spiritual insight hides behind social appearances.

Chapters 10–14 of Canto 5: Jaḍa Bharata instructs Rahūgaṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: The Discussion Between Jaḍa Bharata and Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The King within the palanquin became very disturbed and chastised Jaḍa Bharata with filthy language, but Jaḍa Bharata, being completely freed from the bodily conception, did not protest; he proceeded carrying the palanquin. When he continued as before, the King threatened him with punishment, and being threatened by the King, Jaḍa Bharata began to talk.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sthālion the cooking pot
  2. agni-tāpātbecause of the heat of fire
  3. payasaḥthe milk put into the pot
  4. abhitāpaḥbecomes hot
  5. tat-tāpataḥbecause of the milk’s becoming hot
  6. taṇḍula-garbha-randhiḥthe center of the rice within the milk becomes cooked
  7. deha-indriya-asvāśayathe bodily senses
  8. sannikarṣātfrom having connections with
3

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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 5.10

    In this verse: “detached”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 5.10

    In this verse: “king”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.10

    In this verse: “attachment”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does identifying with my body or possessions shape my experience of pleasure and pain?

Practice

When a possession causes you worry today, pause and remind yourself that you are distinct from it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAttachment Connects Us to Bodily DistressThis 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.

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