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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 25: The Glories of Lord Ananta
5.25.145.26.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.25.15

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.25.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एतावतीर्हि राजन् पुंस: प्रवृत्तिलक्षणस्य धर्मस्य विपाकगतय उच्चावचा विसदृशा यथाप्रश्नं व्याचख्ये किमन्यत्कथयाम इति ॥ १५ ॥

etāvatīr hi rājan puṁsaḥ pravṛtti-lakṣaṇasya dharmasya vipāka-gataya uccāvacā visadṛśā yathā-praśnaṁ vyācakhye kim anyat kathayāma iti.

Translation

My dear King, I have thus described how people generally act according to their different desires and, as a result, get different types of bodies in higher or lower planets. You inquired of these things from me, and I have explained to you whatever I have heard from authorities. What shall I speak of now?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Desires and Actions Shape Material Destinations

  1. 1

    People generally act according to their different desires.

  2. 2

    As a result of these actions, they receive different types of bodies in higher or lower planets.

  3. 3

    The speaker answers the King’s inquiry by explaining what he has heard from authorities, then asks what he should speak of next.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Twenty-fifth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Glories of Lord Ananta.”

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 25: The Glories of Lord Ananta

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The entire material energy is working according to the plans of Anantadeva. Therefore we should regard Him as the root cause of the material creation.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.25
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. etāvatīḥof such a kind
  2. hicertainly
  3. rājanO King
  4. puṁsaḥof the human being
  5. pravṛtti-lakṣaṇasyasymptomized by inclinations
  6. dharmasyaof the execution of duties
  7. vipāka-gatayaḥthe resultant destinations
  8. ucca-avacāḥhigh and low
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.25

    In this verse: “inquired”, “inquiry”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 5.25

    In this verse: “king”, “king’s”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 5.25

    In this verse: “heard”

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 desire is guiding one of my actions today?

Practice

Before one action today, pause and identify the desire behind it.

Live this todayDesires and Actions Shape Material DestinationsThis 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 5.25.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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