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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 21: The Movements of the Sun
5.21.165.21.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.21.17

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.21.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तथा वालिखिल्या ऋषयोऽङ्गुष्ठपर्वमात्रा: षष्टिसहस्राणि पुरत: सूर्यं सूक्तवाकाय नियुक्ता: संस्तुवन्ति ॥ १७ ॥

tathā vālikhilyā ṛṣayo ’ṅguṣṭha-parva-mātrāḥ ṣaṣṭi-sahasrāṇi purataḥ sūryaṁ sūkta-vākāya niyuktāḥ saṁstuvanti.

Translation

There are sixty thousand saintly persons named Vālikhilyas, each the size of a thumb, who are located in front of the sun-god and who offer him eloquent prayers of glorification.

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.

The Vālikhilyas Offer Eloquent Prayers

  1. 1

    Sixty thousand saintly persons named Vālikhilyas are located in front of the sun-god.

  2. 2

    Each of these saintly persons is the size of a thumb.

  3. 3

    They offer the sun-god eloquent prayers of glorification.

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 21: The Movements of the Sun

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Always staying in front of the sun-god and offering their prayers are sixty thousand sages known as Vālikhilyas. There are fourteen Gandharvas, Apsarās and other demigods, who are divided into seven parties and who perform ritualistic activities every month to worship the Supersoul through the sun-god according to different names.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.21
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathāthere
  2. vālikhilyāḥVālikhilyas
  3. ṛṣayaḥgreat sages
  4. aṅguṣṭha-parva-mātrāḥwhose size is that of a thumb
  5. ṣaṣṭi-sahasrāṇisixty thousand
  6. purataḥin front
  7. sūryamthe sun-god
  8. su-ukta-vākāyafor speaking eloquently
  9. niyuktāḥengaged
  10. saṁstuvantioffer prayers
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 5.21

    In this verse: “glorification”

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 draws your attention to the Vālikhilyas’ engagement in prayers of glorification?

Practice

Pause over the phrase “eloquent prayers of glorification” and recall who offers them in this verse.

Live this todayThe Vālikhilyas Offer Eloquent PrayersThis 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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