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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 18: The Prayers Offered to the Lord by the Residents of Jambūdvīpa
5.18.135.18.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.18.14

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.18.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तस्माद्रजोरागविषादमन्यु-

मानस्पृहाभयदैन्याधिमूलम् ।

हित्वा गृहं संसृतिचक्रवालं

नृसिंहपादं भजताकुतोभयमिति ॥ १४ ॥

tasmād rajo-rāga-viṣāda-manyu-

māna-spṛhā-bhayadainyādhimūlam

hitvā gṛhaṁ saṁsṛti-cakravālaṁ

nṛsiṁha-pādaṁ bhajatākutobhayam iti

Translation

Therefore, O demons, give up the so-called happiness of family life and simply take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, which are the actual shelter of fearlessness. Entanglement in family life is the root cause of material attachment, indefatigable desires, moroseness, anger, despair, fear and the desire for false prestige, all of which result in the repetition of birth and death.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Shelter Where There Is No Fear

  1. 1

    The verse urges us to give up the so-called happiness of materialistic family life. Its entanglements nourish material attachment and unending desires.

  2. 2

    Such entanglement brings moroseness, anger, despair, fear and the desire for false prestige. These bind the living entity to repeated birth and death.

  3. 3

    The lotus feet of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva are the actual shelter of fearlessness. Rather than seeking security in material attachment, we are urged to take shelter of Him.

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 18: The Prayers Offered to the Lord by the Residents of Jambūdvīpa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lacking attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he remains attached to family life in this material world. Thus the lesson of this chapter is that one should get out of family life and completely take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasmāttherefore
  2. rajaḥof passion or material desires
  3. rāgaattachment for material things
  4. viṣādathen disappointment
  5. manyuanger
  6. māna-spṛhāthe desire to be respectable in society
  7. bhayafear
  8. dainyaof poverty
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “attachment”, “material”, “materialistic”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “fearlessness”, “death”, “fear”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “give up”

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

Which material attachment am I relying on for a security it cannot truly provide?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, asking for shelter at His lotus feet rather than security in material attachments.

5

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 5.18's connections

Live this todayTake Shelter Where There Is No FearThis 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 5.18.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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