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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 15: The Glories of the Descendants of King Priyavrata
5.14.465.15.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.15.1

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.15.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

भरतस्यात्मज: सुमतिर्नामाभिहितो यमु ह वाव केचित्पाखण्डिन ऋषभपदवीमनुवर्तमानं चानार्या अवेदसमाम्नातां देवतां स्वमनीषया पापीयस्या कलौ कल्पयिष्यन्ति ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

bharatasyātmajaḥ sumatir nāmābhihito yam u ha vāva kecit pākhaṇḍina ṛṣabha-padavīm anuvartamānaṁ cānāryā aveda-samāmnātāṁ devatāṁ sva-manīṣayā pāpīyasyā kalau kalpayiṣyanti.

Translation

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: The son of Mahārāja Bharata known as Sumati followed the path of Ṛṣabhadeva, but in the Age of Kali some unscrupulous people will imagine him to be Lord Buddha himself. These people, who will actually be atheistic and of bad character, will interpret the Vedic principles in an imaginary, infamous way to support their activities. Thus these sinful people will accept Sumati as Lord Buddhadeva and propagate the theory that everyone should follow the principles of Sumati. In this way they will be carried away by mental concoction.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Understand the Vedas Through Authentic Guidance

  1. 1

    Sumati followed the path of Ṛṣabhadeva. The verse warns that people in Kali will misrepresent him and interpret Vedic principles through their own imagination.

  2. 2

    The purport emphasizes understanding the Vedas through the paramparā system, rather than rejecting bona fide ācāryas and relying on mental speculation.

  3. 3

    The real purpose of the Vedas is to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Buddha is His incarnation, who used a particular means to teach bhāgavata-dharma among atheists.

Key points from the purport
  • Those who are Āryans strictly follow the Vedic principles, but in this Age of Kali a community has sprung up known as the Arya Samaj, who members are ignorant of the import of the Vedas in the paramparā system.
  • Not only do they not follow the Vedic principles, but they have no relationship with Lord Buddha, though they claim to.
  • Atheists do not want any God, and Lord Buddha therefore said that there is no God, but he adopted the means to instruct his followers for their benefit.

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 5.15.1 quotesBG 15.15

In Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) Kṛṣṇa says, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: “The real purpose of the Vedas is to understand 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

Smallness → Awe and reverence. A vast cosmos changes the reader's perspective.

Chapters 15–25 of Canto 5: The cosmic regions and divine worship. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 15: The Glories of the Descendants of King Priyavrata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He followed the path of liberation given by Ṛṣabhadeva. Some people mistakenly thought Sumati to be the direct incarnation of Lord Buddha.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued to speak
  2. bharatasyaof Bharata Mahārāja
  3. ātma-jaḥthe son
  4. sumatiḥ nāma-abhihitaḥnamed Sumati
  5. yamunto whom
  6. u ha vāvaindeed
  7. kecitsome
  8. pākhaṇḍinaḥatheists, men without Vedic knowledge
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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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 5.15

    In this verse: “principles”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.15

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.15

    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

Am I seeking to understand Kṛṣṇa through authentic guidance, or fitting the teachings to my own ideas?

Practice

Reread the statement about the purpose of the Vedas, and write it in your own words without adding an interpretation.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.15's connections

Live this todayUnderstand the Vedas Through Authentic GuidanceThis 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 5.15.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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