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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 14: The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment

5.14.26 5.14.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.14.27

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.14.20inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अध्वन्यमुष्मिन्निम उपसर्गास्तथा सुखदु:खरागद्वेषभयाभिमानप्रमादोन्मादशोकमोहलोभमात्सर्येर्ष्यावमानक्षुत्पिपासाधिव्याधिजन्मजरामरणादय: ॥ २७ ॥

adhvany amuṣminn ima upasargās tathā sukha-duḥkha-rāga-dveṣa-bhayābhimāna-pramādonmāda-śoka-moha-lobha-mātsaryerṣyāva-māna-kṣut-pipāsādhi-vyādhi-janma-jarā-maraṇādayaḥ.

Translation

In this materialistic life, there are many difficulties, as I have just mentioned, and all of these are insurmountable. In addition, there are difficulties arising from so-called happiness, distress, attachment, hate, fear, false prestige, illusion, madness, lamentation, bewilderment, greed, envy, enmity, insult, hunger, thirst, tribulation, disease, birth, old age and death. All these combine together to give the materialistic conditioned soul nothing but misery.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Use Human Life for Spiritual Freedom

1
To pursue sense gratification, the conditioned soul accepts fear, greed, disease, old age, death and many other troubles. Even so-called happiness brings difficulties.
2
The human form is meant for release from material bondage. Prestige and learning do not constitute actual knowledge if one does not know how to regain spiritual life.
3
Pride and refusal to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead keep one bound. Forgetting one’s relationship with Kṛṣṇa, one wastes time and energy searching for material happiness.

Key points from the purport

Therefore they have been described as mūḍhas and narādhamas in Bhagavad-gītā (7.15):
Due to this, he envies the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore birth after birth he is born into a demonic family, and he transmigrates from one demonic body to another.
Thus he forgets his relationship with Kṛṣṇa and remains a narādhama in an abominable condition life after 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.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 5.14.27 quotesBG 7.15

Therefore they have been described as mūḍhas and narādhamas in Bhagavad-gītā (7.15): “Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind. whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.”

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

Chapter 14: The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

This material world is simply an embarrassment and is composed of tribulations presented as happiness, distress, attachment, enmity and envy. On the whole it is simply full of tribulation and misery.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 5.14

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

adhvanion the path of material life
amuṣminon that
imeall these
upasargāḥeternal difficulties
tathāso much also
sukhaso-called happiness
duḥkhaunhappiness
rāgaattachment

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: “attachment”, “illusion”, “materialistic”
Abhaya · Fearlessness
Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 5.14
In this verse: “fear”, “death”
Karuṇā · Compassion
Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 5.14
In this verse: “distress”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Are my ambitions helping me recover my relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or merely increasing my prestige?

Practice

Pause one pursuit of status or sense pleasure today and spend a few minutes reflecting on your relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUse Human Life for Spiritual FreedomThis 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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