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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 13: The Behavior of a Perfect Person
7.13.297.13.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.13.30

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The saintly brāhmaṇasince 7.13.21inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

देहादिभिर्दैवतन्त्रैरात्मन: सुखमीहत: ।

दु:खात्ययं चानीशस्य क्रिया मोघा: कृता: कृता: ॥ ३० ॥

dehādibhir daiva-tantrair

ātmanaḥ sukham īhataḥ

duḥkhātyayaṁ cānīśasya

kriyā moghāḥ kṛtāḥ kṛtāḥ

Translation

The living entity tries to achieve happiness and rid himself of the causes of distress, but because the various bodies of the living entities are under the full control of material nature, all his plans in different bodies, one after another, are ultimately baffled.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Freedom Comes Through Surrender to Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Plans for bodily happiness are repeatedly baffled because the living entity is under material nature. Even pious activities bind one to reactions when they are not performed for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead observes our desires and activities as the Supersoul within the heart. Material nature works under His supervision.

  3. 3

    The only means of freedom from this entanglement is surrender to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Human life gives us the opportunity to act for His satisfaction rather than remain in the cycle of birth and death.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus the living being is not at all free to act, but is fully under the control of material nature, which is fully under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • As soon as a living entity is victimized by material desires to lord it over material nature, he is subjected to the control of material nature, which is supervised by the Supreme Soul.
  • Unfortunately, however, the living entity does not accept the Supreme Lord’s clearly stated instructions from Bhagavad-gītā, and thus he becomes a perpetual captive of the laws of material nature.

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 7.13.30 quotesBG 15.15

As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15): “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.”

The purport of SB 7.13.30 quotesBG 18.61

As clearly stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61): The Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, and as one desires, the Lord gives one various types of bodies, which are like machines.

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

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 13: The Behavior of a Perfect Person

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Being satisfied with whatever he attains by the grace of the Lord, he is completely independent of material happiness and distress, and thus he is transcendental to all regulative principles. Sometimes he accepts severe austerities, and sometimes he accepts material opulence.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. deha-ādibhiḥwith the body, mind, ego and intelligence
  2. daiva-tantraiḥunder the control of superior power
  3. ātmanaḥof the self
  4. sukhamhappiness
  5. īhataḥsearching after
  6. duḥkha-atyayamdiminution of miserable conditions
  7. caalso
  8. anīśasyaof the living entity fully under the control of material nature
  9. kriyāḥplans and activities
  10. moghāḥ kṛtāḥ kṛtāḥbecome baffled again and again
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 7.13

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 7.13

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 7.13

    In this verse: “death”

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 planning only for my own comfort, or for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction?

Practice

Before one task today, pause and consider how to do it for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFreedom Comes Through Surrender to KṛṣṇaThis 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 7.13.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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