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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 2: Hiraṇyakaśipu, King of the Demons

7.2.20 7.2.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.2.21

Mukti· Liberation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Hiraṇyakaśipusince 7.2.20inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja YudhiṣṭhiraHiraṇyakaśipu → his mother and family

भूतानामिह संवास: प्रपायामिव सुव्रते ।

दैवेनैकत्र नीतानामुन्नीतानां स्वकर्मभि: ॥ २१ ॥

bhūtānām iha saṁvāsaḥ

prapāyām iva suvrate

daivenaikatra nītānām

unnītānāṁ sva-karmabhiḥ

Translation

My dear mother, in a restaurant or place for drinking cold water, many travelers are brought together, and after drinking water they continue to their respective destinations. Similarly, living entities join together in a family, and later, as a result of their own actions, they are led apart to their destinations.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Temporary Relationships, Lasting Purpose in Serving God

1
Family members are like travelers who meet at a place for drinking water and later depart. Living entities come together temporarily and separate according to their actions.
2
In material life we are under the control of material nature, though we may think ourselves independent doers. The desire to enjoy equally with Kṛṣṇa brings living entities under this conditioning.
3
Hiraṇyakaśipu’s advice was sound, but knowledge alone does not make one godly. Whatever our occupation, perfection means using our intelligence and duties to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport

As criminal prisoners scatter as soon as their terms are over and they are released, all of us who have temporarily assembled as family members will continue to our respective destinations.
Another example given is that family members are like straws carried together by the waves of a river.
Thus the advice given to his family members — his sister-in-law, mother and nephews — was quite sound.

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 7.2.21 quotesBG 3.27

“The bewildered soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.”

The purport of SB 7.2.21 quotesSB 1.2.13

This is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.13) as follows: “O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve, by discharging his prescribed duties [ dharma] according to caste divisions and orders of life, is to please the Lord Hari.”

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

Pride and rage → Oppression. The ruler's power intensifies his insecurity.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 7: Hiraṇyakaśipu's ascent and intimidation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 2: Hiraṇyakaśipu, King of the Demons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

According to their different fruitive activities, living entities come together within this material world and are again separated by the laws of nature. We should always know, however, that the spirit soul, which is different from the body, is eternal, inadjustable, pure, all-pervading and aware of everything.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 7.2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

bhūtānāmof all living entities
ihain this material world
saṁvāsaḥthe living together
prapāyāmin a place for drinking cold water
ivalike
su-vrateO my gentle mother
daivenaby the superior arrangement
ekatrain one place

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
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 7.2
In this verse: “mother”
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.2
In this verse: “material”
Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct
Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 7.2
In this verse: “duties”

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 using my understanding to serve the Lord, or simply to feel knowledgeable?

Practice

Choose one duty today and consciously perform it with the intention of pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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 1.2.13

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 7.2's connections

Live this todayTemporary Relationships, Lasting Purpose in Serving GodThis 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 7.2.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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