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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 2: The Activities of Mahārāja Āgnīdhra
5.2.75.2.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.2.8

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Prince mistakenlysince 5.2.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बाणाविमौ भगवत: शतपत्रपत्रौशान्तावपुङ्खरुचिरावतितिग्मदन्तौ । कस्मै युयुङ्‌क्षसि वने विचरन्न विद्म:क्षेमाय नो जडधियां तव विक्रमोऽस्तु ॥ ८ ॥

bāṇāv imau bhagavataḥ śata-patra-patrau

śāntāv apuṅkha-rucirāv ati-tigma-dantau

kasmai yuyuṅkṣasi vane vicaran na vidmaḥ

kṣemāya no jaḍa-dhiyāṁ tava vikramo ’stu

Translation

Then Āgnīdhra observed the glancing eyes of Pūrvacitti and said: My dear friend, you have two very powerful arrows, namely your glancing eyes. Those arrows have feathers like the petals of a lotus flower. Although they have no shafts, they are very beautiful, and they have very sharp, piercing points. They appear very peaceful, and thus it seems that they will not be shot at anyone. You must be loitering in this forest to shoot those arrows at someone, but I cannot understand whom. My intelligence is dull, and I cannot combat you. Indeed, no one can equal you in prowess, and therefore I pray that your prowess will be for my good fortune.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Attraction Can Deepen Into Dependence

  1. 1

    Āgnīdhra compared Pūrvacitti’s glancing eyes to sharp arrows. Although beautiful like lotuses, her eyes also made him afraid.

  2. 2

    He was already captivated by her. The more captivated he became, the more impossible it seemed to remain without her.

  3. 3

    He prayed that her glances would be favorable and auspicious. In other words, he wanted her to become his wife.

Key points from the purport
  • He compared her glancing eyes to very sharp arrows.
  • Although her eyes were as beautiful as lotuses, they were simultaneously like shaftless arrows, and Āgnīdhra was therefore afraid of them.
  • Āgnīdhra therefore prayed to Pūrvacitti that her glances at him would be auspicious, not futile.

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

Responsibility → Renunciation. Leadership is set beside the renounced ideal.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 5: Priyavrata and Ṛṣabhadeva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 2: The Activities of Mahārāja Āgnīdhra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Understanding his desire, Lord Brahmā sent a celestial girl named Pūrvacitti to Āgnīdhra’s hermitage. After dressing herself very attractively, she presented herself before him with various feminine movements, and Āgnīdhra was naturally attracted to her.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bāṇautwo arrows
  2. imauthese
  3. bhagavataḥof you, the most powerful
  4. śata-patra-patrauhaving feathers like the petals of a lotus flower
  5. śāntaupeaceful
  6. apuṅkhawithout a shaft
  7. rucirauvery beautiful
  8. ati-tigma-dantauhaving a very sharp point
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.2

    In this verse: “understand”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 5.2

    In this verse: “friend”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 5.2

    In this verse: “afraid”

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

Have I noticed attraction growing into a feeling that I cannot do without someone?

Practice

Pause today when an attraction feels urgent, and name the expectation you are placing on the other person.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAttraction Can Deepen Into DependenceThis 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 5.2.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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