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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 10: Prahlāda, the Best Among Exalted Devotees
7.10.77.10.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.10.8

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Prahlāda Mahārājasince 7.10.2inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

इन्द्रियाणि मन: प्राण आत्मा धर्मो धृतिर्मति: ।

ह्री: श्रीस्तेज: स्मृति: सत्यं यस्य नश्यन्ति जन्मना ॥ ८ ॥

indriyāṇi manaḥ prāṇa

ātmā dharmo dhṛtir matiḥ

hrīḥ śrīs tejaḥ smṛtiḥ satyaṁ

yasya naśyanti janmanā

Translation

O my Lord, because of lusty desires from the very beginning of one’s birth, the functions of one’s senses, mind, life, body, religion, patience, intelligence, shyness, opulence, strength, memory and truthfulness are vanquished.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Purify Desires Through Devotional Service

  1. 1

    Lusty desire is described as a formidable disease that leads to repeated birth and death. It diverts the senses, mind, intelligence and other capacities from their original Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

  2. 2

    Desirelessness means freedom from material desires, not the absence of all desires. Unalloyed devotion to the Lord’s service is the spiritual desire to cultivate.

  3. 3

    Devotional service means engaging all the senses in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Through this service, the senses become purified and one is freed from material designations.

Key points from the purport
  • Liberation means freedom from lusty desires because it is only due to such desires that one must accept repeated birth and death.
  • As long as one’s lusty desires are unfulfilled, one must take birth after birth to fulfill them.
  • To fulfill this spiritual desire, however, one must be free from all material desires.

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

Terror and divine fury → Protection and compassion. The crisis resolves through relationship rather than domination.

Chapters 8–10 of Canto 7: Nṛsiṁhadeva appears; Prahlāda pacifies Him. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: Prahlāda, the Best Among Exalted Devotees

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

As soon as lusty desires awaken, one’s senses, mind, life, soul, religious principles, patience, intelligence, shyness, beauty, strength, memory and truthfulness are all vanquished. One can render unalloyed devotional service only when there are no material desires in one’s mind.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. indriyāṇithe senses
  2. manaḥthe mind
  3. prāṇaḥthe life air
  4. ātmāthe body
  5. dharmaḥreligion
  6. dhṛtiḥpatience
  7. matiḥintelligence
  8. hrīḥshyness
3

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.10

    In this verse: “lusty”, “material”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 7.10

    In this verse: “religion”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.10

    In this verse: “devotional service”

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

Which desire is drawing my senses away from the Lord’s service?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to engage your voice and attention in a prayer for unalloyed service to the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPurify Desires Through Devotional ServiceThis 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 7.10.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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