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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 3: Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Plan to Become Immortal
7.3.187.3.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.3.19

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 7.3.17inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

नैतत्पूर्वर्षयश्चक्रुर्न करिष्यन्ति चापरे ।

निरम्बुर्धारयेत्प्राणान् को वै दिव्यसमा: शतम् ॥ १९ ॥

naitat pūrvarṣayaś cakrur

na kariṣyanti cāpare

nirambur dhārayet prāṇān

ko vai divya-samāḥ śatam

Translation

Even saintly persons like Bhṛgu, born previously, could not perform such severe austerities, nor will anyone in the future be able to do so. Who within these three worlds can sustain his life without even drinking water for one hundred celestial years?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

An Extraordinary Austerity Beyond Ordinary Capacity

  1. 1

    Brahmā said that even earlier saintly persons such as Bhṛgu had not performed austerities like Hiraṇyakaśipu’s.

  2. 2

    Hiraṇyakaśipu sustained his life without drinking water for one hundred celestial years. Brahmā described this endurance as unmatched, even in the future.

  3. 3

    The purport attributes this extraordinary survival to the yogic process. A yogī could remain alive even while ants and moths consumed his outer body.

Key points from the purport
  • It appears that even if a yogī does not drink a drop of water, he can live for many, many years by the yogic process, though his outer body be eaten by ants and moths.

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

Further reading

Chapter 3: Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Plan to Become Immortal

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The demigods disclosed to Lord Brahmā Hiraṇyakaśipu’s ambition to become immortal, overcoming his short duration of life, and to be the master of all the planetary systems, even Dhruvaloka. Upon hearing about the purpose of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s austere meditation, Lord Brahmā, accompanied by the great sage Bhṛgu and great personalities like Dakṣa, went to see Hiraṇyakaśipu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.3
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. etatthis
  3. pūrva-ṛṣayaḥthe sages before you, such as Bhṛgu
  4. cakruḥexecuted
  5. nanor
  6. kariṣyantiwill execute
  7. caalso
  8. apareothers
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What helps me recognize the difference between an extraordinary account and something within my own capacity?

Practice

Reread Brahmā’s description and note the phrase that most clearly shows how exceptional this austerity was.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

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 7.3's connections

Live this todayAn Extraordinary Austerity Beyond Ordinary CapacityThis 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 7.3.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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