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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 7.2.38

Who is speaking and story frame

अहो वयं धन्यतमा यदत्र

त्यक्ता: पितृभ्यां न विचिन्तयाम: ।

अभक्ष्यमाणा अबला वृकादिभि:

स रक्षिता रक्षति यो हि गर्भे ॥ ३८ ॥

aho vayaṁ dhanyatamā yad atra

tyaktāḥ pitṛbhyāṁ na vicintayāmaḥ

abhakṣyamāṇā abalā vṛkādibhiḥ

sa rakṣitā rakṣati yo hi garbhe

Translation

It is wonderful that these elderly women do not have a higher sense of life than we do. Indeed, we are most fortunate, for although we are children and have been left to struggle in material life, unprotected by father and mother, and although we are very weak, we have not been vanquished or eaten by ferocious animals. Thus we have a firm belief that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has given us protection even in the womb of the mother, will protect us everywhere.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Trust the Lord Within the Heart

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in everyone’s heart and gives protection even within the womb. Birth and death take place under His arrangement.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa gives remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. When the conditioned soul wants to act independently, the Lord allows him to act and experience the reactions.

  3. 3

    The Lord asks us to surrender unto Him. Through mature experience, the living being comes to understand that surrender to the lotus feet of Vāsudeva is his only duty.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus the Lord gives protection to everyone and gives the different types of bodies the living entity wants to enjoy.
  • One must act according to the direction of the Lord within the heart, but because the conditioned soul wants to act independently, the Lord gives him the facility to act and experience the reactions.
  • One who does not abide by the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is given the facility to enjoy this material world.

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 7.2.38 quotesBG 18.61

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61), īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati: the Lord is present in the core of everyone’s heart.

The purport of SB 7.2.38 quotesBG 15.15

Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.”

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

Further reading

Chapter 2: Hiraṇyakaśipu, King of the Demons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When bound by the material energy, the soul takes birth in higher or lower species of life according to varying association and in this way receives various types of bodies in which to suffer or enjoy. One’s affliction by the conditions of material existence is the cause of happiness and distress; there are no other causes, and one should not be aggrieved upon seeing the superficial actions of karma.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ahoalas
  2. vayamwe
  3. dhanya-tamāḥmost fortunate
  4. yatbecause
  5. atraat the present moment
  6. tyaktāḥleft alone, without protection
  7. pitṛbhyāmby both father and mother
  8. nanot
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 7.2

    In this verse: “mother”, “father”, “children”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.2

    In this verse: “material”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 7.2

    In this verse: “protection”

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

Where am I trying to act independently instead of accepting the Lord’s direction?

Practice

Pause before one decision today and offer a short prayer for help in following Kṛṣṇa’s direction.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTrust the Lord Within the HeartThis 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 7.2.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.