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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
7.1.357.1.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.1.36

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 7.1.36inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

श्रीनारद उवाच

एकदा ब्रह्मण: पुत्रा विष्णुलोकं यद‍ृच्छया ।

सनन्दनादयो जग्मुश्चरन्तो भुवनत्रयम् ॥ ३६ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca

ekadā brahmaṇaḥ putrā

viṣṇu-lokaṁ yadṛcchayā

sanandanādayo jagmuś

caranto bhuvana-trayam

Translation

The great saint Nārada said: Once upon a time when the four sons of Lord Brahmā named Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanat-kumāra were wandering throughout the three worlds, they came by chance to Viṣṇuloka.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Four Sages Arrive at Viṣṇuloka

  1. 1

    Nārada begins his account with four sons of Lord Brahmā. Their names are Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanat-kumāra.

  2. 2

    These four sages were wandering throughout the three worlds.

  3. 3

    During their travels, they came by chance to Viṣṇuloka. This arrival begins the account Nārada is relating.

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 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. Because of their fruitive acts, Jaya and Vijaya agreed to become the Lord’s enemies, and when killed in that mentality, they attained salvation in oneness.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-nāradaḥ uvācaŚrī Nārada Muni said
  2. ekadāonce upon a time
  3. brahmaṇaḥof Lord Brahmā
  4. putrāḥthe sons
  5. viṣṇuof Lord Viṣṇu
  6. lokamthe planet
  7. yadṛcchayāby chance
  8. sanandana-ādayaḥSanandana and the others
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

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

Am I taking time to hear the details of Nārada’s account attentively?

Practice

Read the translation aloud once, carefully pronouncing the four sages’ names.

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 todayFour Sages Arrive at ViṣṇulokaThis 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 7.1.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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