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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.
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Canto 5 · Chapter 14: The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment
5.14.185.14.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.14.19

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 5.13.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

क्‍वचिच्च दु:सहेन कायाभ्यन्तरवह्निना गृहीतसार: स्वकुटुम्बाय क्रुध्यति ॥ १९ ॥

kvacic ca duḥsahena kāyābhyantara-vahninā gṛhīta-sāraḥ sva-kuṭumbāya krudhyati.

Translation

Sometimes, due to bodily hunger and thirst, the conditioned soul becomes so disturbed that he loses his patience and becomes angry with his own beloved sons, daughters and wife. Thus, being unkind to them, he suffers all the more.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Do Not Let Distress Become Unkindness

  1. 1

    Hunger and thirst can exhaust the conditioned soul’s patience. Becoming angry and unkind toward beloved family members increases his suffering.

  2. 2

    Family happiness is compared to a drop of water in the desert. It cannot satisfy the longing for lasting happiness.

  3. 3

    The purport says that family responsibilities should not be abandoned. Becoming hardened toward affectionate family members is part of the blazing fire of material life.

Key points from the purport
  • No one can be happy in family life.
  • Sometimes, due to misery, one becomes very hardened toward his affectionate sons, daughters and wife.
  • This is but part of the blazing fire of the forest of material life.

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 14: The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Sometimes the conditioned soul is bereft of all money, and consequently he becomes unkind to his family members. In this material world there is not a pinch of actual happiness, for which the conditioned soul is longing life after life.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kvacit caand sometimes
  2. duḥsahenaunbearable
  3. kāya-abhyantara-vahninābecause of the fire of hunger and thirst within the body
  4. gṛhīta-sāraḥwhose patience is exhausted
  5. sva-kuṭumbāyaunto his own family members
  6. krudhyatihe becomes angry
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 5.14

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 5.14

    In this verse: “suffering”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 5.14

    In this verse: “longing”

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 bodily discomfort tests my patience, how do I treat those closest to me?

Practice

If hunger or thirst makes you irritable today, pause before speaking harshly to a family member.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDo Not Let Distress Become UnkindnessThis 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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