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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

7.15.30 7.15.32-33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.15.31

Mukti· Liberation

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

देशे शुचौ समे राजन्संस्थाप्यासनमात्मन: ।

स्थिरं सुखं समं तस्मिन्नासीतर्ज्वङ्ग ओमिति ॥ ३१ ॥

deśe śucau same rājan

saṁsthāpyāsanam ātmanaḥ

sthiraṁ sukhaṁ samaṁ tasminn

āsītarjv-aṅga om iti

Translation

My dear King, in a sacred and holy place of pilgrimage one should select a place in which to perform yoga. The place must be level and not too high or low. There one should sit very comfortably, being steady and equipoised, keeping his body straight, and thus begin chanting the Vedic praṇava.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Is Open to Everyone

1
The yoga practice described requires a sacred, level place and a comfortable, steady seat. One sits with the body straight and begins chanting the Vedic praṇava.
2
Oṁkāra and the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra are both sound representations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Oṁkāra is recommended for the beginning of transcendental realization.
3
Anyone may chant Hare Kṛṣṇa at any time and place, without special sitting arrangements. Keeping the body straight while sitting can help prevent sleepiness during chanting.

Key points from the purport

The difference between chanting oṁkāra and chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra may be chanted without consideration of the place or the sitting arrangements recommended in Bhagavad-gītā (6.11):
In chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra there are no particular injunctions regarding one’s sitting place.
Therefore anyone may chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, without consideration of the time and place.

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 7.15.31 quotesSB 1.2.11

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.11): “Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.”

The purport of SB 7.15.31 quotesBG 6.11

The difference between chanting oṁkāra and chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra may be chanted without consideration of the place or the sitting arrangements recommended in Bhagavad-gītā (6.11): “To practice yoga, one should go to a secluded place and should lay kuśa grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a…

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

Chapter 15: Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Those who are in the lower grades of society prefer to perform sacrifices by killing animals, but one who is advanced in knowledge must avoid such unnecessary violence. Brāhmaṇas should execute their regulative duties in worshiping Lord Viṣṇu.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 7.15

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

deśein a place
śucauvery sacred
samelevel
rājanO King
saṁsthāpyaplacing
āsanamon the seat
ātmanaḥone’s self
sthiramvery steady

Key ideas in this verse

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

Mukti · Liberation
What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 7.15
In this verse: “king”
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 7.15
In this verse: “chanting”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I waiting for special circumstances before making time to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra today for a few minutes, sitting comfortably with your body straight.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 1.2.11

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

Live this todayChanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Is Open to EveryoneThis 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 7.15.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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