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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

7.1.23 7.1.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.1.24

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Nārada Munisince 7.1.23inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

हिंसा तदभिमानेन दण्डपारुष्ययोर्यथा ।

वैषम्यमिह भूतानां ममाहमिति पार्थिव ॥ २४ ॥

hiṁsā tad-abhimānena

daṇḍa-pāruṣyayor yathā

vaiṣamyam iha bhūtānāṁ

mamāham iti pārthiva

Translation

My dear King, the conditioned soul, being in the bodily conception of life, considers his body to be his self and considers everything in relationship with the body to be his. Because he has this wrong conception of life, he is subjected to dualities like praise and chastisement.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bodily Identification Creates Friends and Enemies

1
The conditioned soul wrongly accepts the body as the self. Everything related to the body is then considered “mine.”
2
Only through this bodily identification does one feel the effects of praise and chastisement.
3
One then labels one person an enemy and another a friend, wishing to punish one and welcome the other. This division arises from the bodily conception of life.

Key points from the purport

Only when a conditioned soul accepts the body as himself does he feel the effects of chastisement or praise.
Then he determines one person to be his enemy and another his friend and wants to chastise the enemy and welcome the friend.
This creation of friends and enemies is a result of one’s bodily conception of life.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 7.1

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

hiṁsāsuffering
tatof this
abhimānenaby the false conception
daṇḍa-pāruṣyayoḥwhen there is punishment and chastisement
yathājust as
vaiṣamyammisconception
ihahere (in this body)
bhūtānāmof the living entities

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
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 7.1
In this verse: “king”
Sakhya · Sacred friendship
The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 7.1
In this verse: “friend”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Have praise or harsh words led me to label someone a friend or an enemy?

Practice

Recall one recent reaction to praise or criticism and identify how bodily pride influenced it.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBodily Identification Creates Friends and EnemiesThis 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 7.1.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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