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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 ›
Canto 7 · Chapter 1: The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone
7.1.197.1.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.1.20

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhirasince 7.1.16inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

कथं तस्मिन् भगवति दुरवग्राह्यधामनि ।

पश्यतां सर्वलोकानां लयमीयतुरञ्जसा ॥ २० ॥

kathaṁ tasmin bhagavati

duravagrāhya-dhāmani

paśyatāṁ sarva-lokānāṁ

layam īyatur añjasā

Translation

How was it possible for Śiśupāla and Dantavakra, in the presence of many exalted persons, to enter very easily into the body of Kṛṣṇa, whose nature is difficult to attain?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Merging Was Not Their Final Destination

  1. 1

    Śiśupāla and Dantavakra were formerly Jaya and Vijaya, the doorkeepers of Vaikuṇṭha. Their merging into Kṛṣṇa’s body was temporary, not their final destination.

  2. 2

    Later they received sārūpya and sālokya liberation. They lived on the same planet as the Lord with the same bodily form as His.

  3. 3

    Blaspheming the Supreme Lord ordinarily brings severe punishment, yet Śiśupāla immediately received sāyujya-mukti. Everyone present witnessed this, and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was very surprised.

Key points from the purport
  • Śiśupāla and Dantavakra were formerly Jaya and Vijaya, the doorkeepers of Vaikuṇṭha.
  • The śāstras give evidence that if one blasphemes the Supreme Lord, his punishment is to remain in hellish life for many millions of years more than one suffers by killing many brāhmaṇas.
  • Śiśupāla, however, instead of entering hellish life, immediately and very easily received sāyujya-mukti.

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

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:

Śukadeva Gosvāmī proves that because the body of the conditioned soul is infected by the three qualities of nature, dualities arise such as enmity and friendship, attachment and detachment. For the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, there are no such dualities.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kathamhow
  2. tasminthat
  3. bhagavatiin the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. duravagrāhyadifficult to attain
  5. dhāmaniwhose nature
  6. paśyatāmlooked on
  7. sarva-lokānāmwhile all the people
  8. layam īyatuḥbecame absorbed
  9. añjasāeasily
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

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 surprises me about the difference between Śiśupāla’s apparent offense and his destination?

Practice

Reread the purport and note the distinction between their temporary merging and their final destination.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 7.1's connections

Live this todayMerging Was Not Their Final DestinationThis 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 7.1.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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