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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 7.8.1

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीनारद उवाच

अथ दैत्यसुता: सर्वे श्रुत्वा तदनुवर्णितम् ।

जगृहुर्निरवद्यत्वान्नैव गुर्वनुशिक्षितम् ॥ १ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca

atha daitya-sutāḥ sarve

śrutvā tad-anuvarṇitam

jagṛhur niravadyatvān

naiva gurv-anuśikṣitam

Translation

Nārada Muni continued: All the sons of the demons appreciated the transcendental instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja and took them very seriously. They rejected the materialistic instructions given by their teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sincere Devotional Teaching Changes Hearts

  1. 1

    Prahlāda Mahārāja’s classmates took his transcendental instructions seriously and rejected teachings meant exclusively for sense gratification.

  2. 2

    A devotee’s preaching is effective when he is qualified, sincere and serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and follows a bona fide spiritual master.

  3. 3

    The words of pure devotees please the ear and appeal to the heart. One who accepts and practices Kṛṣṇa consciousness can return home, back to Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • This is the effect of the preaching of a pure devotee like Prahlāda Mahārāja.
  • If a devotee is qualified, sincere and serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness and if he follows the instructions of a bona fide spiritual master, as Prahlāda Mahārāja did when preaching the instructions he had received from Nārada Muni, his preaching is effective.
  • By the grace of Prahlāda Mahārāja, all his class friends, the sons of the demons, became Vaiṣṇavas.

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· 1

The purport of SB 7.8.1 quotesSB 3.25.25

As it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.25): If one tries to understand the discourses given by the sat, or pure devotees, those instructions will be very pleasing to the ear and appealing to the heart.

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

Terror and divine fury → Protection and compassion. The crisis resolves through relationship rather than domination.

Chapters 8–10 of Canto 7: Nṛsiṁhadeva appears; Prahlāda pacifies Him. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When this attachment became pronounced, their teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, were very much afraid that the boys would become more and more devoted to the Lord. In a helpless condition, they approached Hiraṇyakaśipu and described in detail the effect of Prahlāda’s preaching.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.8
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-nāradaḥ uvācaŚrī Nārada Muni said
  2. athathereupon
  3. daitya-sutāḥthe sons of the demons (the class friends of Prahlāda Mahārāja)
  4. sarveall
  5. śrutvāhearing
  6. tatby him (Prahlāda)
  7. anuvarṇitamthe statements about devotional life
  8. jagṛhuḥaccepted
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “materialistic”, “sense gratification”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “devotee’s”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I move from appreciating devotional instructions to practicing them?

Practice

Reread one instruction from this purport and choose one way to apply it today.

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.

The purport quotesSB 3.25.25

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 7.8's connections

Live this todaySincere Devotional Teaching Changes HeartsThis 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 7.8.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.