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

5.18.1 5.18.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.18.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.18.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

भद्रश्रवस ऊचु:

ॐ नमो भगवते धर्मायात्मविशोधनाय नम इति ॥ २ ॥

bhadraśravasa ūcuḥ

oṁ namo bhagavate dharmāyātma-viśodhanāya nama iti.

Translation

The ruler Bhadraśravā and his intimate associates utter the following prayer: We offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of all religious principles, who cleanses the heart of the conditioned soul in this material world. Again and again we offer our respectful obeisances unto Him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Purification Is the Aim of Human Life

1
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of all religious principles and cleanses the conditioned soul’s heart. Bhadraśravā and his associates repeatedly offer Him respectful obeisances.
2
Human life is meant for purification, not blind indulgence in sense gratification. One must worship Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, through penances and austerities and engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
3
Material happiness is temporary, however large the arrangements made for it. The unobstructed happiness we seek is spiritual happiness, called brahma-saukhya.

Key points from the purport

Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā (7.15) Lord Kṛṣṇa describes such materialistic persons as mūḍhas (rascals): na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ.
In the human form of life, one must undergo all kinds of austerities to purify his existence.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja points out, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: merely for temporary materialistic happiness, these rascals are making huge arrangements, and thus they are baffled 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 5.18.2 quotesBG 7.15

Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā (7.15) Lord Kṛṣṇa describes such materialistic persons as mūḍhas (rascals): na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ.

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

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

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The predominating ruler of Bhadrāśva-varṣa is Bhadraśravā. He and his many servants always worship the incarnation known as Lord Hayagrīva.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 5.18

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

bhadraśravasaḥ ūcuḥthe ruler Bhadraśravā and his intimate associates said
omO Lord
namaḥrespectful obeisances
bhagavateunto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
dharmāyathe source of all religious principles
ātma-viśodhanāyawho purifies us of material contamination
namaḥour obeisances
itithus

Key ideas in this verse

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

Īśānukathā · The science of God
Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10
Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct
Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 5.18
In this verse: “religious”, “principles”
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.18
In this verse: “material”, “sense gratification”
Śuddhi · Inner transformation
The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.18
In this verse: “cleanses”, “purification”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I giving more attention to temporary enjoyment or to purifying my existence?

Practice

Set aside one optional enjoyment today and use that time to offer respectful prayers to Kṛṣṇa.

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 todayPurification Is the Aim of Human LifeThis 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 5.18.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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