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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
7.1.247.1.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.1.25

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

यन्निबद्धोऽभिमानोऽयं तद्वधात्प्राणिनां वध: ।

तथा न यस्य कैवल्यादभिमानोऽखिलात्मन: ।

परस्य दमकर्तुर्हि हिंसा केनास्य कल्प्यते ॥ २५ ॥

yan-nibaddho ’bhimāno ’yaṁ

tad-vadhāt prāṇināṁ vadhaḥ

tathā na yasya kaivalyād

abhimāno ’khilātmanaḥ

parasya dama-kartur hi

hiṁsā kenāsya kalpyate

Translation

Because of the bodily conception of life, the conditioned soul thinks that when the body is annihilated the living being is annihilated. Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme controller, the Supersoul of all living entities. Because He has no material body, He has no false conception of “I and mine.” It is therefore incorrect to think that He feels pleasure or pain when blasphemed or offered prayers. This is impossible for Him. Thus He has no enemy and no friend. When He chastises the demons it is for their good, and when He accepts the prayers of the devotees it is for their good. He is affected neither by prayers nor by blasphemy.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Correction Is Also Mercy

  1. 1

    Bodily identification leads the conditioned soul to think that everything ends when the body dies. Kṛṣṇa has no such conception, and His body is nondifferent from Himself.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always spiritually conscious and blissful, without material deficiencies. As Paramātmā, He is present in everyone’s heart yet remains free from bodily identification.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s punishment is for the conditioned soul’s good, not a reaction to personal hurt. He stops the soul’s habit of blasphemy and, when the soul becomes completely pure, takes that soul back to Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore, since Kṛṣṇa has no material conception of life, how can He be affected by material prayers and accusations?
  • Since everyone has a material bodily conception of life, if Kṛṣṇa had such a conception what would be the difference between Kṛṣṇa and the conditioned soul?
  • Blaspheming the Supreme Lord or His devotee is not at all good for the conditioned soul, but Kṛṣṇa, being very kind, punishes the conditioned soul in one life for such sinful activities and then takes him back home, back to Godhead.

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· 2

The purport of SB 7.1.25 quotesBG 13.3

In Bhagavad-gītā (13.3) this is confirmed. Kṣetrajñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata: the Lord is the Paramātmā — the ātmā or Superself of all individual souls.

The purport of SB 7.1.25 quotesBG 16.19

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (16.19): “Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.”

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:

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. yatin which
  2. nibaddhaḥbound
  3. abhimānaḥfalse conception
  4. ayamthis
  5. tatof that (body)
  6. vadhātfrom the annihilation
  7. prāṇināmof the living beings
  8. vadhaḥannihilation
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.1

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.1

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • 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.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this teaching challenge my tendency to imagine Kṛṣṇa reacting like a conditioned person?

Practice

Respectfully chant Kṛṣṇa’s name today, remembering His kindness toward all living entities.

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 todayKṛṣṇa’s Correction Is Also MercyThis 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 7.1.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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