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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 13: Further Talks Between King Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata
5.13.75.13.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.13.8

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Jaḍa Bharata, who had fully realized Brahmansince 5.13.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitJaḍa Bharata → King Rahūgaṇa

चलन् क्‍वचित्कण्टकशर्कराङ्‌घ्रि-

र्नगारुरुक्षुर्विमना इवास्ते ।

पदे पदेऽभ्यन्तरवह्निनार्दित:

कौटुम्बिक: क्रुध्यति वै जनाय ॥ ८ ॥

calan kvacit kaṇṭaka-śarkarāṅghrir

nagārurukṣur vimanā ivāste

pade pade ’bhyantara-vahninārditaḥ

kauṭumbikaḥ krudhyati vai janāya

Translation

Sometimes the merchant in the forest wants to climb the hills and mountains, but due to insufficient footwear, his feet are pricked by small stone fragments and by thorns on the mountain. Being pricked by them, he becomes very aggrieved. Sometimes a person who is very attached to his family becomes overwhelmed with hunger, and due to his miserable condition he becomes furious with his family members.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Shelter of Kṛṣṇa, Not Frustration

  1. 1

    Seeking greatness and lasting happiness through family and society is compared to climbing a thorn-covered mountain. Material arrangements do not remove the conditioned soul's dissatisfaction.

  2. 2

    A person distressed by difficulty maintaining the family may unnecessarily chastise his dependent wife and children. His anger does not resolve the underlying distress.

  3. 3

    Merely leaving family life or moving to another forest cannot make one happy; one must take shelter of Govinda. The goal of planned retirement from family affairs is full dependence on Kṛṣṇa and a life of devotional service.

Key points from the purport
  • The ambitious conditioned soul wants to be very happy in this material world with his family, but he is compared to a traveler in the forest who desires to climb a hill full of thorns and small stones.
  • In the Western countries, due to the dissatisfaction of the family members, there is actually no family life.
  • One should voluntarily retire from family life at the age of fifty and go to Vṛndāvana or a forest.

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· 2

The purport of SB 5.13.8 quotesSB 7.5.5

This is recommended by Śrīla Prahlāda Mahārāja: There is no benefit in transferring from one forest to another.

The purport of SB 5.13.8 quotesSB 12.2.9

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.2.9): ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam.

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

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 13: Further Talks Between King Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He becomes captivated by temporary happiness and becomes aggrieved by so-called distress. Actually one simply suffers in the forest from so-called happiness and distress.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. calanwandering
  2. kvacitsometimes
  3. kaṇṭaka-śarkarapierced by thorns and small stones
  4. aṅghriḥwhose feet
  5. nagathe hills
  6. ārurukṣuḥone desiring to climb
  7. vimanāḥdisappointed
  8. ivalike
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.13

    In this verse: “attached”, “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.13

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 5.13

    In this verse: “distressed”

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

When responsibilities frustrate me, do I turn toward Kṛṣṇa or take my distress out on others?

Practice

If frustration arises with a family member today, pause before speaking and offer a brief prayer for shelter to Kṛṣṇa.

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 7.5.5SB 12.2.9

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.13's connections

Live this todayTake Shelter of Kṛṣṇa, Not FrustrationThis 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 5.13.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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