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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
5.18.335.18.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.18.34

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.18.34inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

उत्तरेषु च कुरुषु भगवान् यज्ञपुरुष: कृतवराहरूप आस्ते तं तु देवी हैषा भू: सह कुरुभिरस्खलितभक्तियोगेनोपधावति इमां च परमामुपनिषदमावर्तयति ॥ ३४ ॥

uttareṣu ca kuruṣu bhagavān yajña-puruṣaḥ kṛta-varāha-rūpa āste taṁ tu devī haiṣā bhūḥ saha kurubhir askhalita-bhakti-yogenopadhāvati imāṁ ca paramām upaniṣadam āvartayati.

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Dear King, the Supreme Lord in His boar incarnation, who accepts all sacrificial offerings, lives in the northern part of Jambūdvīpa. There, in the tract of land known as Uttarakuru-varṣa, mother earth and all the other inhabitants worship Him with unfailing devotional service by repeatedly chanting the following Upaniṣadic mantra.

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.

Worship the Lord With Unfailing Devotion

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord lives in His boar incarnation in Uttarakuru-varṣa, in the northern part of Jambūdvīpa.

  2. 2

    He is the Lord who accepts all sacrificial offerings. Mother earth and the other inhabitants worship Him.

  3. 3

    Their devotional service is unfailing. They worship by repeatedly chanting an Upaniṣadic mantra.

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:

Similarly, in the tract of land known as Uttarakuru-varṣa, Lord Śrī Hari has assumed the form of a boar, and in that form He accepts service from all the inhabitants living there. All the information in this chapter can be fully realized by one who associates with devotees 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. uttareṣuon the northern side
  2. caalso
  3. kuruṣuin the tract of land known as Kuru
  4. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. yajña-puruṣaḥwho accepts all results of sacrifices
  6. kṛta-varāha-rūpaḥhaving accepted the form of a boar
  7. āsteexists eternally
  8. tamHim
3

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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “worship”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “chanting”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 5.18

    In this verse: “king”

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

What could help me become more steady in my devotional service?

Practice

Set aside one uninterrupted minute today to offer respectful worship to the Lord in His boar incarnation.

Live this todayWorship the Lord With Unfailing DevotionThis 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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