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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

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

7.2.60 7.3.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.2.61

Mukti· Liberation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Nārada Munisince 7.2.61inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

श्रीनारद उवाच

इति दैत्यपतेर्वाक्यं दितिराकर्ण्य सस्‍नुषा ।

पुत्रशोकं क्षणात्त्यक्त्वा तत्त्वे चित्तमधारयत् ॥ ६१ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca

iti daitya-pater vākyaṁ

ditir ākarṇya sasnuṣā

putra-śokaṁ kṣaṇāt tyaktvā

tattve cittam adhārayat

Translation

Śrī Nārada Muni continued: Diti, the mother of Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa, heard the instructions of Hiraṇyakaśipu along with her daughter-in-law, Ruṣābhānu, Hiraṇyākṣa’s wife. She then forgot her grief over her son’s death and thus engaged her mind and attention in understanding the real philosophy of life.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Let Distress Deepen Remembrance of Kṛṣṇa

1
After hearing the instructions, Diti gave up her grief and directed her attention toward the real philosophy of life.
2
Interest in spiritual life after a death can fade once the funeral is over. This temporary detachment is called śmaśāna-vairāgya, or detachment in a cemetery.
3
Kuntīdevī valued distress because it gave her an opportunity to remember Kṛṣṇa. For a devotee, distress can become an opportunity to remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly.

Key points from the purport

Therefore Kuntīdevī said in her prayers to Kṛṣṇa that she preferred distress to a happy mood of life.
In the material world, one who is happy forgets Kṛṣṇa, or God, but sometimes, if one is actually pious but in distress, he remembers Kṛṣṇa.
Queen Kuntīdevī therefore preferred distress because it is an opportunity for remembering Kṛṣṇa.

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

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:

By narrating these stories, Hiraṇyakaśipu pacified his nephews and other relatives and relieved them of lamentation. Thus having been pacified, Diti and Ruṣābhānu, Hiraṇyakaśipu’s mother and sister-in-law, engaged their minds in spiritual understanding.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

śrī-nāradaḥ uvācaŚrī Nārada Muni said
itithus
daitya-pateḥof the King of the demons
vākyamthe speech
ditiḥDiti, the mother of Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa
ākarṇyahearing
sa-snuṣāwith the wife of Hiraṇyākṣa
putra-śokamthe great bereavement for her son, Hiraṇyākṣa

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
Jñāna · Spiritual insight
Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 7.2
In this verse: “philosophy”, “understanding”
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 7.2
In this verse: “heard”, “hearing”
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.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I keep remembering Kṛṣṇa when a difficult period has passed?

Practice

Set aside one minute today to remember Kṛṣṇa, whether your circumstances feel pleasant or difficult.

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.

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

Live this todayLet Distress Deepen Remembrance of KṛṣṇaThis 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 7.2.61? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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