1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.8.10

Who is speaking and story frame

नूनं ह्यार्या: साधव उपशमशीला: कृपणसुहृद एवंविधार्थे स्वार्थानपि गुरुतरानुपेक्षन्ते ॥ १० ॥

nūnaṁ hy āryāḥ sādhava upaśama-śīlāḥ kṛpaṇa-suhṛda evaṁ-vidhārthe svārthān api gurutarān upekṣante.

Translation

Even though one is in the renounced order, one who is advanced certainly feels compassion for suffering living entities. One should certainly neglect his own personal interests, although they may be very important, to protect one who has surrendered.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seek the Lord’s Favor While Helping Others

  1. 1

    The translation describes the compassion of advanced persons, who set aside personal interests to protect someone who has taken shelter.

  2. 2

    The purport warns that māyā can mislead us through welfare work limited to bodily comfort. Material happiness and distress come according to karma.

  3. 3

    Real benefit lies in raising people to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so everyone may advance spiritually by the Lord’s grace. We should never abandon our interest in attaining Lord Viṣṇu’s favor.

Key points from the purport
  • If one is at all sympathetic or able to do good to others, he should endeavor to raise people to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
  • We should be very careful not to be misled by so-called welfare activities conducted in bodily terms.
  • One should not give up his interest in attaining the favor of Lord Viṣṇu at any cost.

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 5.8.10 quotesSB 1.5.18

It is therefore said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.18), tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham: “As far as material happiness is concerned, that comes without effort, just as tribulations come without effort.”

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

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 8: A Description of the Character of Bharata Mahārāja

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Mahārāja Bharata took compassion upon the motherless calf, rescued it from the water, took it to his āśrama and cared for it affectionately. He gradually became attached to this young deer and always thought of it affectionately.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nūnamindeed
  2. hicertainly
  3. āryāḥthose who are advanced in civilization
  4. sādhavaḥsaintly persons
  5. upaśama-śīlāḥeven though completely in the renounced order of life
  6. kṛpaṇa-suhṛdaḥthe friends of the helpless
  7. evaṁ-vidha-artheto execute such principles
  8. sva-arthān apieven their own personal interests
  9. guru-tarānvery important
  10. upekṣanteneglect
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 5.8

    In this verse: “compassion”, “suffering”, “welfare”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 5.8

    In this verse: “surrendered”, “shelter”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.8

    In this verse: “māyā”, “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can my efforts to help others also support their Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Practice

Share one teaching about Kṛṣṇa consciousness with someone willing to hear, while keeping your own devotional practice.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 1.5.18

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.8's connections

Live this todaySeek the Lord’s Favor While Helping 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 5.8.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.