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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
7.13.347.13.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.13.35

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The brāhmaṇasince 7.13.32inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

मधुकारमहासर्पौ लोकेऽस्मिन्नो गुरूत्तमौ ।

वैराग्यं परितोषं च प्राप्ता यच्छिक्षया वयम् ॥ ३५ ॥

madhukāra-mahā-sarpau

loke ’smin no gurūttamau

vairāgyaṁ paritoṣaṁ ca

prāptā yac-chikṣayā vayam

Translation

The bee and the python are two excellent spiritual masters who give us exemplary instructions regarding how to be satisfied by collecting only a little and how to stay in one place and not move.

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.

Learn Contentment From the Bee and Python

  1. 1

    The bee and the python are described as excellent spiritual masters. Their example offers practical instruction in satisfaction.

  2. 2

    The bee teaches satisfaction through collecting only a little. Contentment does not require collecting more and more.

  3. 3

    The python teaches remaining in one place rather than continually moving about. Its example accompanies the lesson of being satisfied with little.

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:

In this regard, Nārada Muni described a meeting between Prahlāda and a saintly person who had adopted the mode of life of a python. In this way he described the symptoms of a paramahaṁsa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. madhukārabees that go from flower to flower to collect honey
  2. mahā-sarpauthe big snake (the python, which does not move from one place to another)
  3. lokein the world
  4. asminthis
  5. naḥour
  6. guruspiritual masters
  7. uttamaufirst-class
  8. vairāgyamrenunciation
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

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

Where could I practice being satisfied with less today?

Practice

When taking something you need today, take only a little rather than gathering extra.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLearn Contentment From the Bee and PythonThis 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 7.13.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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