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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.17.9

Who is speaking and story frame

तथैवालकनन्दा दक्षिणेन ब्रह्मसदनाद्ब‍हूनि गिरिकूटान्यतिक्रम्य हेमकूटाद्धैमकूटान्यतिरभसतररंहसा लुठयन्ती भारतमभिवर्षं दक्षिणस्यां दिशि जलधिमभिप्रविशति यस्यां स्‍नानार्थं चागच्छत: पुंस: पदे पदेऽश्वमेधराजसूयादीनां फलं न दुर्लभमिति ॥ ९ ॥

tathaivālakanandā dakṣiṇena brahma-sadanād bahūni giri-kūṭāny atikramya hemakūṭād dhaimakūṭāny ati-rabhasatara-raṁhasā luṭhayantī bhāratam abhivarṣaṁ dakṣiṇasyāṁ diśi jaladhim abhipraviśati yasyāṁ snānārthaṁ cāgacchataḥ puṁsaḥ pade pade ’śvamedha-rājasūyādīnāṁ phalaṁ na durlabham iti.

Translation

Similarly, the branch of the Ganges known as Alakanandā flows from the southern side of Brahmapurī [Brahma-sadana]. Passing over the tops of mountains in various lands, it falls down with fierce force upon the peaks of the mountains Hemakūṭa and Himakūṭa. After inundating the tops of those mountains, the Ganges falls down onto the tract of land known as Bhārata-varṣa, which she also inundates. Then the Ganges flows into the ocean of salt water in the south. Persons who come to bathe in this river are fortunate. It is not very difficult for them to achieve with every step the results of performing great sacrifices like the Rājasūya and Aśvamedha yajñas.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bathing in the Ganges Brings Spiritual Benefit

  1. 1

    Alakanandā flows south from Brahmapurī, passes over mountains and inundates Bhārata-varṣa. She then enters the southern saltwater ocean.

  2. 2

    Those who come to bathe in this river are fortunate. The results of great sacrifices like the Aśvamedha and Rājasūya yajñas are not difficult for them to achieve.

  3. 3

    The purport describes pilgrims bathing at Prayāga and Gaṅgā-sāgara, hoping for liberation. It emphasizes the special facility of having many places to bathe in the Ganges.

Key points from the purport
  • For those who bathe in the Ganges at any time, the results of great sacrifices like the Aśvamedha and Rājasūya yajña are not at all difficult to achieve.
  • Most people in India are still inclined to bathe in the Ganges, and there are many places where they can do so.
  • Thus it is a special facility for all the people of India that they can bathe in the water of the Ganges at so many places of pilgrimage.

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

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 17: The Descent of the River Ganges

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Alakanandā branch flows through Brahmālaya, crosses over many mountains, including Hemakūṭa and Himakūṭa, and then reaches Bhārata-varṣa, where it flows into the southern side of the ocean of salt water. Many other rivers and their branches flow through the nine varṣas.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.17
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathā evasimilarly
  2. alakanandāthe branch known as Alakanandā
  3. dakṣiṇenaby the southern side
  4. brahma-sadanātfrom the city known as Brahmapurī
  5. bahūnimany
  6. giri-kūṭānithe tops of mountains
  7. atikramyacrossing over
  8. hemakūṭātfrom Hemakūṭa Mountain
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

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

How does this verse help me appreciate the spiritual opportunity offered by the Ganges?

Practice

Reread the final two sentences of the translation and reflect for one minute on why these pilgrims are called fortunate.

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.

Live this todayBathing in the Ganges Brings Spiritual BenefitThis 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 5.17.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.