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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 4: The Characteristics of Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
5.4.85.4.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.4.9

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.4.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

येषां खलु महायोगी भरतो ज्येष्ठ: श्रेष्ठगुण आसीद्येनेदं वर्षं भारतमिति व्यपदिशन्ति ॥ ९ ॥

yeṣāṁ khalu mahā-yogī bharato jyeṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭha-guṇa āsīd yenedaṁ varṣaṁ bhāratam iti vyapadiśanti.

Translation

Of Ṛṣabhadeva’s one hundred sons, the eldest, named Bharata, was a great, exalted devotee qualified with the best attributes. In his honor, this planet has become known as Bhārata-varṣa.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Make Life Successful and Benefit Others

  1. 1

    Bharata, the eldest of Ṛṣabhadeva’s hundred sons, was an exalted devotee with the best attributes. This planet became known as Bhārata-varṣa in his honor.

  2. 2

    Bhārata-varṣa is also called puṇya-bhūmi, the pious land. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu urged those born there to make their lives successful and benefit others.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness purifies one’s existence. Sharing it beyond India can benefit the whole world.

Key points from the purport
  • This planet known as Bhārata-varṣa is also called puṇya-bhūmi, the pious land.
  • At the present moment Bhārata-bhūmi, or Bhārata-varṣa, is a small piece of land extending from the Himālaya Mountains to Cape Comorin.
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given special importance to the people of this land.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 5.4.9 quotesCC Ādi 9.41

“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India (Bhārata-varṣa) should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 4: The Characteristics of Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Of these hundred sons, the eldest was known as Bharata. Since the reign of Mahārāja Bharata, this planet has been called Bhārata-varṣa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yeṣāmof whom
  2. khaluindeed
  3. mahā-yogīa very highly exalted devotee of the Lord
  4. bharataḥBharata
  5. jyeṣṭhaḥthe eldest
  6. śreṣṭha-guṇaḥqualified with the best attributes
  7. āsītwas
  8. yenaby whom
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.4

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.4

    In this verse: “purifies”

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

How can my own spiritual growth become a benefit to others?

Practice

Share one teaching about Kṛṣṇa consciousness with someone who is interested.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMake Life Successful and Benefit OthersThis 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 5.4.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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