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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 7: The Activities of King Bharata
5.7.125.7.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.7.13

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.7.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

इत्थं धृतभगवद्‌व्रत ऐणेयाजिनवाससानुसवनाभिषेकार्द्रकपिशकुटिलजटाकलापेन च विरोचमान: सूर्यर्चा भगवन्तं हिरण्मयं पुरुषमुज्जिहाने सूर्यमण्डलेऽभ्युपतिष्ठन्नेतदु होवाच ॥ १३ ॥

itthaṁ dhṛta-bhagavad-vrata aiṇeyājina-vāsasānusavanābhiṣekārdra-kapiśa-kuṭila-jaṭā-kalāpena ca virocamānaḥ sūryarcā bhagavantaṁ hiraṇmayaṁ puruṣam ujjihāne sūrya-maṇḍale ’bhyupatiṣṭhann etad u hovāca.

Translation

Mahārāja Bharata appeared very beautiful. He had a wealth of curly hair on his head, which was wet from bathing three times daily. He dressed in a deerskin. He worshiped Lord Nārāyaṇa, whose body was composed of golden effulgence and who resided within the sun. Mahārāja Bharata worshiped Lord Nārāyaṇa by chanting the hymns given in the Ṛg Veda, and he recited the following verse as the sun rose.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Worshiping Lord Nārāyaṇa Within the Sun

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Bharata bathed three times daily and dressed in a deerskin. His curly hair was wet from bathing, and he appeared very beautiful.

  2. 2

    The predominating Deity within the sun is Hiraṇmaya, Lord Nārāyaṇa. He is situated there with a golden hue.

  3. 3

    Bharata worshiped Lord Nārāyaṇa by chanting hymns from the Ṛg Veda as the sun rose. The purport explains that Nārāyaṇa is also worshiped by the Gāyatrī mantra.

Key points from the purport
  • The predominating Deity within the sun is Hiraṇmaya, Lord Nārāyaṇa.
  • He is also worshiped by other hymns mentioned in the Ṛg Veda, for instance: dhyeyaḥ sadā savitṛ-maṇḍala-madhya-vartī.
  • Within the sun, Lord Nārāyaṇa is situated, and He has a golden hue.

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

Compassion and attachment → Regret and vigilance. Affection becomes binding when it displaces devotion.

Chapters 7–9 of Canto 5: Bharata, the deer and the birth of Jaḍa Bharata. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 7: The Activities of King Bharata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Due to his highly advanced spiritual position, there were sometimes visible in his body the aṣṭa-sāttvika transformations, such as ecstatic crying and bodily trembling, which are symptoms of love of Godhead. It is understood that Mahārāja Bharata worshiped the Supreme Lord with the mantras mentioned in the Ṛg Veda, generally known as Gāyatrī mantra, which aim at the Supreme Nārāyaṇa situated within the sun.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. itthamin this way
  2. dhṛta-bhagavat-vrataḥhaving accepted the vow to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  3. aiṇeya-ajina-vāsasawith a dress of a deerskin
  4. anusavanathree times in a day
  5. abhiṣekaby a bath
  6. ardrawet
  7. kapiśatawny
  8. kuṭila-jaṭāof curling and matted hair
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 5.7

    In this verse: “chanting”, “recited”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.7

    In this verse: “wealth”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.7

    In this verse: “worshiped”

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 inspires me about Bharata’s regular worship of Lord Nārāyaṇa?

Practice

Take a quiet moment today to remember Lord Nārāyaṇa, whose golden form resides within the sun.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWorshiping Lord Nārāyaṇa Within the SunThis 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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