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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
5.2.85.2.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.2.9

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

शिष्या इमे भगवत: परित: पठन्तिगायन्ति साम सरहस्यमजस्रमीशम् । युष्मच्छिखाविलुलिता: सुमनोऽभिवृष्टी:सर्वे भजन्त्यृषिगणा इव वेदशाखा: ॥ ९ ॥

śiṣyā ime bhagavataḥ paritaḥ paṭhanti

gāyanti sāma sarahasyam ajasram īśam

yuṣmac-chikhā-vilulitāḥ sumano ’bhivṛṣṭīḥ

sarve bhajanty ṛṣi-gaṇā iva veda-śākhāḥ

Translation

Seeing the bumblebees following Pūrvacitti, Mahārāja Āgnīdhra said: My dear Lord, the bumblebees surrounding your body are like disciples surrounding your worshipable self. They are incessantly chanting the mantras of the Sāma Veda and the Upaniṣads, thus offering prayers to you. Just as great sages resort to the branches of Vedic literatures, the bumblebees are enjoying the showers of flowers falling from your hair.

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.

Āgnīdhra Describes Bees as Devoted Disciples

  1. 1

    Āgnīdhra compared the bumblebees surrounding Pūrvacitti to disciples surrounding a worshipable person. This was his description of the scene before him.

  2. 2

    He imagined their humming as incessant chanting of the Sāma Veda and the Upaniṣads. He described their sounds as prayers offered to her.

  3. 3

    The bees enjoyed the flowers falling from her hair. Āgnīdhra compared this to great sages taking shelter of the branches of Vedic literature.

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. śiṣyāḥdisciples, followers
  2. imethese
  3. bhagavataḥof your worshipable self
  4. paritaḥsurrounding
  5. paṭhantiare reciting
  6. gāyantiare singing
  7. sāmathe Sāma Veda
  8. sa-rahasyamwith the confidential portion
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.2

    In this verse: “worshipable”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 5.2

    In this verse: “chanting”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 5.2

    In this verse: “shelter”

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 does the image of sages taking shelter of Vedic literature suggest to me?

Practice

Read this translation slowly once more, noticing each comparison Āgnīdhra makes.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayĀgnīdhra Describes Bees as Devoted DisciplesThis 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 5.2.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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