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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 · Text 7.15.2

Who is speaking and story frame

ज्ञाननिष्ठाय देयानि कव्यान्यानन्त्यमिच्छता ।

दैवे च तदभावे स्यादितरेभ्यो यथार्हत: ॥ २ ॥

jñāna-niṣṭhāya deyāni

kavyāny ānantyam icchatā

daive ca tad-abhāve syād

itarebhyo yathārhataḥ

Translation

A person desiring liberation for his forefathers or himself should give charity to a brāhmaṇa who adheres to impersonal monism [jñāna-niṣṭhā]. In the absence of such an advanced brāhmaṇa, charity may be given to a brāhmaṇa addicted to fruitive activities [karma-kāṇḍa].

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Honor Devotion Above Birth and Learning

  1. 1

    The translation directs those seeking liberation toward charity to a brāhmaṇa devoted to knowledge. The purport distinguishes this aim from the devotee’s desire for everlasting loving service.

  2. 2

    Vaiṣṇavas do not want to merge into the Supreme; they want to associate personally with the Lord. Pure devotional service is above both fruitive activities and speculative knowledge.

  3. 3

    Charity should be given to a pure devotee, regardless of family or birthplace. One fully devoted to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is a sādhu.

Key points from the purport
  • Devotees, however, whose objective is to associate personally with the Lord, have no desire to accept the activities of karma-kāṇḍa or jñāna-kāṇḍa, for pure devotional service is above both karma-kāṇḍa and jñāna-kāṇḍa.
  • Consequently, when Vaiṣṇavas distribute charity, they do not need to find a brāhmaṇa performing the activities of jñāna-kāṇḍa or karma-kāṇḍa.
  • The best example in this regard is provided by Advaita Gosvāmī, who, after performing the śrāddha ceremony for his father, offered charity to Haridāsa Ṭhākura, although it was known to everyone that Haridāsa Ṭhākura was born in a Mohammedan family, not a brāhmaṇa family, and was not interested in the activities of jñāna-kāṇḍa or karma-kāṇḍa.

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 7.15.2 quotesSB 6.14.5

Such devotees, who are fully peaceful, are extremely rare.”

The purport of SB 7.15.2 quotesBG 9.30

This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.30): “Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged 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

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 15: Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

If such a sannyāsī is not available, the charity is given to brāhmaṇa householders engaged in fruitive activities. One should not make very elaborate arrangements to perform the śrāddha ceremony of offering oblations to one’s forefathers.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.15
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. jñāna-niṣṭhāyato the impersonalist or the transcendentalist desiring to merge into the Supreme
  2. deyānito be given in charity
  3. kavyāniingredients offered to the forefathers as oblations
  4. ānantyamliberation from material bondage
  5. icchatāby a person desiring
  6. daivethe ingredients to be offered to the demigods
  7. caalso
  8. tat-abhāvein the absence of such advanced transcendentalists
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.15

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee’s”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 7.15

    In this verse: “absence”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 7.15

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

Do I value devotion more than a person’s birth, nationality, or scholarship?

Practice

Offer a small gift or some prasāda to a devotee today, honoring their devotion rather than their background.

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.

The purport quotesSB 6.14.5

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 7.15's connections

Live this todayHonor Devotion Above Birth and LearningThis 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 7.15.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.