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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 2: Hiraṇyakaśipu, King of the Demons
7.2.557.2.57

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.2.56

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Yamarājasince 7.2.44inside 5 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja YudhiṣṭhiraHiraṇyakaśipu → his mother and familyYamarāja, as a boy → the queens of King Suyajña

एवं कुलिङ्गं विलपन्तमारात्

प्रियावियोगातुरमश्रुकण्ठम् ।

स एव तं शाकुनिक: शरेण

विव्याध कालप्रहितो विलीन: ॥ ५६ ॥

evaṁ kuliṅgaṁ vilapantam ārāt

priyā-viyogāturam aśru-kaṇṭham

sa eva taṁ śākunikaḥ śareṇa

vivyādha kāla-prahito vilīnaḥ

Translation

Because of the loss of his wife, the kuliṅga bird lamented with tears in his eyes. Meanwhile, following the dictations of mature time, the hunter, who was very carefully hidden in the distance, released his arrow, which pierced the body of the kuliṅga bird and killed him.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Death Comes Even While We Grieve

  1. 1

    The kuliṅga bird lamented the loss of his wife with tears in his eyes.

  2. 2

    Meanwhile, the hunter remained carefully hidden at a distance. Following the dictations of time, he released his arrow.

  3. 3

    The arrow pierced and killed the grieving bird. His own life ended while he was mourning another’s death.

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:

Hiraṇyakaśipu related an account of a kuliṅga bird pierced by the arrow of a hunter while lamenting for his wife, who had also been shot by the same hunter. By narrating these stories, Hiraṇyakaśipu pacified his nephews and other relatives and relieved them of lamentation.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evamthus
  2. kuliṅgamthe bird
  3. vilapantamwhile lamenting
  4. ārātfrom a distance
  5. priyā-viyogabecause of the loss of his wife
  6. āturamvery aggrieved
  7. aśru-kaṇṭhamwith tears in the eyes
  8. saḥhe (that hunter)
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 7.2

    In this verse: “lamented”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 7.2

    In this verse: “death”

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

How does the bird’s death remind me that my own time is uncertain?

Practice

Take one quiet minute today to reflect that your own life, too, can end unexpectedly.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDeath Comes Even While We GrieveThis 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.

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