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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 · Texts 7.1.28-29

Who is speaking and story frame

कीट: पेशस्कृता रुद्ध: कुड्यायां तमनुस्मरन् ।

संरम्भभययोगेन विन्दते तत्स्वरूपताम् ॥ २८ ॥

एवं कृष्णे भगवति मायामनुज ईश्वरे ।

वैरेण पूतपाप्मानस्तमापुरनुचिन्तया ॥ २९ ॥

kīṭaḥ peśaskṛtā ruddhaḥ

kuḍyāyāṁ tam anusmaran

saṁrambha-bhaya-yogena

vindate tat-svarūpatām

evaṁ kṛṣṇe bhagavati

māyā-manuja īśvare

vaireṇa pūta-pāpmānas

tam āpur anucintayā

Translation

A grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow or other think of Kṛṣṇa, who is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinking of Him they will regain their spiritual bodies.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remembering Kṛṣṇa Purifies the Heart

  1. 1

    Constant thought of Kṛṣṇa purifies both devotees and enemies. The grassworm’s remembrance of the bee illustrates the power of absorbed thought.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears through His own spiritual potency. He controls māyā and is never controlled by it.

  3. 3

    Thinking of Kṛṣṇa and hearing His holy name and pastimes make one pure. By hearing His name and taking His prasāda, one gradually becomes a devotee.

Key points from the purport
  • Similarly, an enemy, although thinking of Kṛṣṇa inimically, thinks of Him constantly and also becomes purified.
  • The sādhus and devotees certainly think of the Lord always, but duṣkṛtīs, the demons like Kaṁsa and Śiśupāla, also think of Kṛṣṇa in terms of killing Him.
  • Thinking of Kṛṣṇa, hearing the holy name of Kṛṣṇa or hearing the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa will make one pure, and then he will become a devotee.

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 7.1.28-29 quotesBG 4.10

In Bhagavad-gītā (4.10) the Lord says: “Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me — and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.”

The purport of SB 7.1.28-29 quotesBG 9.30

This is confirmed elsewhere in Bhagavad-gītā (9.30), where the Lord says: “Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he engages in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.”

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kīṭaḥthe grassworm
  2. peśaskṛtāby a bee
  3. ruddhaḥconfined
  4. kuḍyāyāmin a hole in a wall
  5. tamthat (bee)
  6. anusmaranthinking of
  7. saṁrambha-bhaya-yogenathrough intense fear and enmity
  8. vindateattains
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshipable”, “devotees”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

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

    In this verse: “sins”, “purifies”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 7.1

    In this verse: “fear”

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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What could help me remember Kṛṣṇa more attentively today?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute saying Kṛṣṇa’s holy name and listening carefully.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayRemembering Kṛṣṇa Purifies the HeartThis 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 7.1.28-29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.