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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 24: The Subterranean Heavenly Planets
5.24.215.24.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.24.22

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.24.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न वै भगवान्नूनममुष्यानुजग्राह यदुत पुनरात्मानुस्मृतिमोषणं मायामयभोगैश्वर्यमेवातनुतेति ॥ २२ ॥

na vai bhagavān nūnam amuṣyānujagrāha yad uta punar ātmānusmṛti-moṣaṇaṁ māyāmaya-bhogaiśvaryam evātanuteti.

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead did not award His mercy to Bali Mahārāja by giving him material happiness and opulence, for these make one forget loving service to the Lord. The result of material opulence is that one can no longer absorb his mind in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Opulence Finds Value in Service

  1. 1

    Material opulence arising from karma can make one forget loving service to the Lord. A surrendered soul does not seek wealth for sense gratification.

  2. 2

    When a pure devotee possesses opulence through bhakti, the Lord provides it so that His service can be performed easily and opulently.

  3. 3

    Material poverty can be the Lord’s special mercy for a beginner who might otherwise forget Him. Bali Mahārāja’s opulence, however, was an opportunity for continued service, free from māyā.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore when a pure devotee is seen to possess exalted material opulence, it is not due to his karma.
  • However, if an advanced devotee is favored by the Lord with opulence, it is not material opulence but a spiritual opportunity.
  • Material opulence offered to the demigods causes forgetfulness of the Lord, but opulence was given to Bali Mahārāja for continuing service to the Lord, which was free from any touch of māyā.

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 24: The Subterranean Heavenly Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Bali Mahārāja was favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāmanadeva, because of his intense devotional service. The Lord went to the sacrificial arena of Bali Mahārāja and begged him for three paces of land, and on this plea the Lord took from him all his possessions.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.24
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. vaiindeed
  3. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. nūnamcertainly
  5. amuṣyaunto Bali Mahārāja
  6. anujagrāhashowed His favor
  7. yatbecause
  8. utacertainly
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.24

    In this verse: “material”, “māyā”, “sense gratification”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.24

    In this verse: “devotee”, “bhakti”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 5.24

    In this verse: “mercy”

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

Do my possessions help me remember and serve the Lord, or distract me from Him?

Practice

Use one resource you already have for service to the Lord today.

5

Connected stories

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

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.24's connections

Live this todayOpulence Finds Value in 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 5.24.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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