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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 5.19.8

Who is speaking and story frame

सुरोऽसुरो वाप्यथ वानरो नर:

सर्वात्मना य: सुकृतज्ञमुत्तमम् ।

भजेत रामं मनुजाकृतिं हरिं

य उत्तराननयत्कोसलान्दिवमिति ॥ ८ ॥

suro ’suro vāpy atha vānaro naraḥ

sarvātmanā yaḥ sukṛtajñam uttamam

bhajeta rāmaṁ manujākṛtiṁ hariṁ

ya uttarān anayat kosalān divam iti

Translation

Therefore, whether one is a demigod or a demon, a man or a creature other than man, such as a beast or bird, everyone should worship Lord Rāmacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appears on this earth just like a human being. There is no need of great austerities or penances to worship the Lord, for He accepts even a small service offered by His devotee. Thus He is satisfied, and as soon as He is satisfied, the devotee is successful. Indeed, Lord Śrī Rāmacandra brought all the devotees of Ayodhyā back home, back to Godhead [Vaikuṇṭha].

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Accepts Even a Little Service

  1. 1

    Lord Śrī Rāmacandra is easily satisfied by a little service from anyone, human or not. Everyone should worship Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu awarded love of God without difficulty even to the asuras. The Lord’s incarnations delivered many of the living entities present before Them.

  3. 3

    The six-armed form, ṣaḍ-bhūja-mūrti, combines Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Worshiping this form can fulfill the best purpose of human life.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Śrī Rāmacandra is so kind and merciful to His devotees that He is very easily satisfied by a little service rendered by anyone, human or not.
  • All the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead — but especially Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Kṛṣṇa and, later, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu — delivered many of the living entities present before Them, indeed almost all of them.
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is therefore represented in the six-armed form of ṣaḍ-bhūja-mūrti, which is a combination of Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

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 19: A Description of the Island of Jambūdvīpa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In the land known as Bhāratavarṣa, even if one is a sarva-kāma-bhakta, a devotee seeking the fulfillment of some material desire, he is freed from all material desires by his association with devotees, and ultimately he becomes a pure devotee and returns home, back to Godhead, without difficulty. At the end of this chapter, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes to Mahārāja Parīkṣit the eight sub-islands within the island of Jambūdvīpa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.19
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. suraḥdemigod
  2. asuraḥdemon
  3. vā apior
  4. athatherefore
  5. vāor
  6. anaraḥother than a human being (bird, beast, animal and so on)
  7. naraḥa human being
  8. sarva-ātmanāwholeheartedly
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.19

    In this verse: “devotee”, “worship”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 5.19

    In this verse: “love”

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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the Lord’s willingness to accept a little service encourage me to worship Him?

Practice

Offer a brief, sincere prayer to Lord Rāmacandra today rather than postponing worship until you can do something great.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayThe Lord Accepts Even a Little ServiceThis 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 5.19.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.