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

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Canto 7 · The Science of God · 15 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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.1.19

Who is speaking and story frame

शपतोरसकृद्विष्णुं यद्ब्रह्म परमव्ययम् ।

श्वित्रो न जातो जिह्वायां नान्धं विविशतुस्तम: ॥ १९ ॥

śapator asakṛd viṣṇuṁ

yad brahma param avyayam

śvitro na jāto jihvāyāṁ

nāndhaṁ viviśatus tamaḥ

Translation

Although these two men — Śiśupāla and Dantavakra — repeatedly blasphemed the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu [Kṛṣṇa], the Supreme Brahman, they were quite healthy. Indeed, their tongues were not attacked by white leprosy, nor did they enter the darkest region of hellish life. We are certainly most surprised by this.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Supreme Brahman

  1. 1

    Śiśupāla and Dantavakra repeatedly blasphemed the Supreme Lord, yet remained healthy and did not enter the darkest hellish region. This caused great surprise.

  2. 2

    The purport confirms that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode and purifier.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is the cause of Viṣṇu and Brahman, not their effect. Therefore He is Parabrahman, the Supreme Brahman.

Key points from the purport
  • Kṛṣṇa is described by Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā (10.12) as follows: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān.
  • Similarly, Brahman is not the cause of Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa is the cause of Brahman.
  • Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the Parabrahman (yad brahma param avyayam).

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 7.1.19 quotesBG 10.12

Kṛṣṇa is described by Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā (10.12) as follows: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān.

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

Pride and rage → Oppression. The ruler's power intensifies his insecurity.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 7: Hiraṇyakaśipu's ascent and intimidation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The second question raised by Parīkṣit Mahārāja concerns how Śiśupāla, although inimical toward Kṛṣṇa from his very childhood and always blaspheming Kṛṣṇa, attained salvation in oneness when Kṛṣṇa killed him. Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains that because of their offenses at the feet of devotees, two attendants of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha named Jaya and Vijaya became Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa in Satya-yuga, Rāvaṇa and Kumbhakarṇa in the next yuga, Tretā-yuga, and Śiśupāla and Dantavakra at the end of Dvāpara-yuga.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śapatoḥof both Śiśupāla and Dantavakra, who were blaspheming
  2. asakṛtrepeatedly
  3. viṣṇumLord Kṛṣṇa
  4. yatwhich
  5. brahma paramthe Supreme Brahman
  6. avyayamwithout diminution
  7. śvitraḥwhite leprosy
  8. nanot
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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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 7.1

    In this verse: “purifier”

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

Do I understand Kṛṣṇa as the source of Brahman, rather than as coming from Brahman?

Practice

Read aloud once with attention: “Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode and purifier.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Supreme BrahmanThis 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 7.1.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.