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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.
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Canto 5 · Chapter 9: The Supreme Character of Jaḍa Bharata
5.9.185.9.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.9.19

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.9.1-2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एवमेव खलु महदभिचारातिक्रम: कार्त्स्‍न्येनात्मने फलति ॥ १९ ॥

evam eva khalu mahad-abhicārāti-kramaḥ kārtsnyenātmane phalati.

Translation

When an envious person commits an offense before a great personality, he is always punished in the way mentioned above.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Envious Offenses Bring Punishment

  1. 1

    The verse warns against committing an offense before a great personality.

  2. 2

    It identifies envy as the attitude behind such an offense.

  3. 3

    The envious offender receives punishment. The verse presents this consequence as certain, not accidental.

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 9: The Supreme Character of Jaḍa Bharata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Thus a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can remain silent despite the mistreatment of nondevotees. Rogues and dacoits who misbehave toward a devotee are punished at last by the arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.9
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evam evain this way
  2. khaluindeed
  3. mahatto great personalities
  4. abhicārain the form of envy
  5. ati-kramaḥthe limit of offense
  6. kārtsnyenaalways
  7. ātmaneunto oneself
  8. phalatigives the result
3

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

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 5.9

    In this verse: “offense”, “offender”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Does envy affect how I speak about someone whose qualities I should respect?

Practice

Refrain from one envious remark today and silently acknowledge a good quality in that person.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEnvious Offenses Bring PunishmentThis 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 5.9.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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