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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 7.15.71

Who is speaking and story frame

एकदा देवसत्रे तु गन्धर्वाप्सरसां गणा: ।

उपहूता विश्वसृग्भिर्हरिगाथोपगायने ॥ ७१ ॥

ekadā deva-satre tu

gandharvāpsarasāṁ gaṇāḥ

upahūtā viśva-sṛgbhir

hari-gāthopagāyane

Translation

Once there was a saṅkīrtana festival to glorify the Supreme Lord in an assembly of the demigods, and the Gandharvas and Apsarās were invited by the prajāpatis to take part in it.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Saṅkīrtana Benefits the Entire Universe

  1. 1

    The Gandharvas and Apsarās were invited to a festival in an assembly of demigods to glorify the Supreme Lord.

  2. 2

    Saṅkīrtana means chanting the Lord’s holy name. The Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is not new; such chanting takes place throughout Lord Brahmā’s life and in the higher planetary systems.

  3. 3

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His servants revive the saṅkīrtana movement when it has stopped. They do so for the benefit of the entire world and universe.

Key points from the purport
  • Saṅkīrtana means chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
  • The saṅkīrtana movement that was started in this world five hundred years ago by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is therefore not a new movement.
  • Sometimes, because of our bad luck, this movement is stopped, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His servants again start the movement for the benefit of the entire world or, indeed, the entire universe.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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:

Such a devotee, even though not performing ritualistic ceremonies, advances in spiritual consciousness by the supreme will of the Personality of Godhead. One may actually become successful in spiritual consciousness by the mercy of devotees, or one may fall from spiritual consciousness by being disrespectful to devotees.
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. ekadāonce upon a time
  2. deva-satrein an assembly of the demigods
  3. tuindeed
  4. gandharvaof the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka
  5. apsarasāmand the inhabitants of Apsaroloka
  6. gaṇāḥall
  7. upahūtāḥwere invited
  8. viśva-sṛgbhiḥby the great demigods known as the prajāpatis
  9. hari-gātha-upagāyaneon an occasion of kīrtana for glorifying the Supreme Lord
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 7.15

    In this verse: “glorify”, “chanting”, “holy name”

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

How might I approach chanting differently when I remember its purpose is to glorify the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Spend a few minutes today chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa with attention to glorifying the Lord.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySaṅkīrtana Benefits the Entire UniverseThis 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 7.15.71? Get an answer from the verses themselves.