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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 26: A Description of the Hellish Planets
5.26.145.26.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.26.15

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.26.5inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यस्त्विह वै निजवेदपथादनापद्यपगत: पाखण्डं चोपगतस्तमसिपत्रवनं प्रवेश्य कशया प्रहरन्ति तत्र हासावितस्ततो धावमान उभयतोधारैस्तालवनासिपत्रैश्छिद्यमानसर्वाङ्गो हा हतोऽस्मीति परमया वेदनया मूर्च्छित: पदे पदे निपतति स्वधर्महा पाखण्डानुगतं फलं भुङ्क्ते ॥ १५ ॥

yas tv iha vai nija-veda-pathād anāpady apagataḥ pākhaṇḍaṁ copagatas tam asi-patravanaṁ praveśya kaśayā praharanti tatra hāsāv itas tato dhāvamāna ubhayato dhārais tāla-vanāsi-patraiś chidyamāna-sarvāṅgo hā hato ’smīti paramayā vedanayā mūrcchitaḥ pade pade nipatati sva-dharmahā pākhaṇḍānugataṁ phalaṁ bhuṅkte.

Translation

If a person deviates from the path of the Vedas in the absence of an emergency, the servants of Yamarāja put him into the hell called Asi-patravana, where they beat him with whips. When he runs hither and thither, fleeing from the extreme pain, on all sides he runs into palm trees with leaves like sharpened swords. Thus injured all over his body and fainting at every step, he cries out, “Oh, what shall I do now! How shall I be saved!” This is how one suffers who deviates from the accepted religious principles.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Faithfully Follow Religious Principles

  1. 1

    The purport states that the one religious principle is to follow the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Whatever religious system one accepts, one should follow its principles strictly rather than invent a religious path within the mind.

  3. 3

    The verse warns that departing from the path of the Vedas without an emergency leads to suffering in Asi-patravana. Human life requires adherence to religious principles.

Key points from the purport
  • Formerly there was only one veda-patha, or set of religious principles.
  • In other words, a human being must follow some religious principles.
  • If he does not follow any religious principles, he is no better than an animal.

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

Moral dread → Wakefulness. Consequences of action are rendered emotionally vivid.

Chapter 26 of Canto 5: The hellish planets. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 26: A Description of the Hellish Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

According to how he acts, he suffers different reactions in his next life or in this life. Religious persons act differently from atheists, and therefore they suffer different reactions.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.26
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yaḥanyone who
  2. tubut
  3. ihain this life
  4. vaiindeed
  5. nija-veda-pathātfrom his own path, recommended by the Vedas
  6. anāpadieven without an emergency
  7. apagataḥdeviated
  8. pākhaṇḍama concocted, atheistic system
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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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 5.26

    In this verse: “religious”, “principles”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 5.26

    In this verse: “saved”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 5.26

    In this verse: “absence”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which religious principle have I accepted but need to follow more faithfully?

Practice

Choose one religious duty you have accepted and carry it out carefully today.

Live this todayFaithfully Follow Religious PrinciplesThis 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 5.26.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.