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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 15: Instructions for Civilized Human Beings
7.15.197.15.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.15.20

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 7.15.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

कामस्यान्तं हि क्षुत्तृड्भ्यां क्रोधस्यैतत्फलोदयात् ।

जनो याति न लोभस्य जित्वा भुक्त्वा दिशो भुव: ॥ २० ॥

kāmasyāntaṁ hi kṣut-tṛḍbhyāṁ

krodhasyaitat phalodayāt

jano yāti na lobhasya

jitvā bhuktvā diśo bhuvaḥ

Translation

The strong bodily desires and needs of a person disturbed by hunger and thirst are certainly satisfied when he eats. Similarly, if one becomes very angry, that anger is satisfied by chastisement and its reaction. But as for greed, even if a greedy person has conquered all the directions of the world or has enjoyed everything in the world, still he will not be satisfied.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Redirect Greed Toward Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

  1. 1

    Bodily hunger and thirst can be satisfied, but greed remains unsatisfied even after conquering or enjoying the whole world.

  2. 2

    Lust, anger and greed bind the conditioned soul to the material world. Unfulfilled desires for sense gratification produce anger, while increasing greed obstructs progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

  3. 3

    Strong eagerness to increase one’s Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a great boon. The purport presents this eagerness as the best path available.

Key points from the purport
  • In Bhagavad-gītā (3.37) it is stated that lust, anger and greed are the causes of the conditioned soul’s bondage in this material world.
  • When strong lusty desires for sense gratification are unfulfilled, one becomes angry.
  • This anger can be satisfied when one chastises his enemy, but when there is an increase in lobha, or greed, which is the greatest enemy caused by rajo-guṇa, the mode of passion, how can one advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

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· 1

The purport of SB 7.15.20 quotesBG 3.37

In Bhagavad-gītā (3.37) it is stated that lust, anger and greed are the causes of the conditioned soul’s bondage in this material world.

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:

One must conquer lusty desires, anger, greed, fear, lamentation, illusion, fright, unnecessary talks on material subjects, violence, the four miseries of material existence, and the three material qualities. That is the objective of human life.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kāmasyaof the desire for sense gratification or the urgent needs of the body
  2. antamend
  3. hiindeed
  4. kṣut-tṛḍbhyāmby one who is very hungry or thirsty
  5. krodhasyaof anger
  6. etatthis
  7. phala-udayātby venting chastisement and its reaction
  8. janaḥa person
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 7.15

    In this verse: “lust”, “sense gratification”, “material”

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

What would change if my eagerness for more possessions became eagerness for more Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Practice

When the urge to acquire something unnecessary appears today, use a few minutes instead to study a teaching on Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRedirect Greed Toward Kṛṣṇa ConsciousnessThis 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 7.15.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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