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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 8: Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons
7.8.147.8.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.15

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Hiraṇyakaśipusince 7.8.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

तदैव तस्मिन्निनदोऽतिभीषणो

बभूव येनाण्डकटाहमस्फुटत् ।

यं वै स्वधिष्ण्योपगतं त्वजादय:

श्रुत्वा स्वधामात्ययमङ्ग मेनिरे ॥ १५ ॥

tadaiva tasmin ninado ’tibhīṣaṇo

babhūva yenāṇḍa-kaṭāham asphuṭat

yaṁ vai sva-dhiṣṇyopagataṁ tv ajādayaḥ

śrutvā sva-dhāmātyayam aṅga menire

Translation

Then from within the pillar came a fearful sound, which appeared to crack the covering of the universe. O my dear Yudhiṣṭhira, this sound reached even the abodes of the demigods like Lord Brahmā, and when the demigods heard it, they thought, “Oh, now our planets are being destroyed!”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Sound Frightens Even Great Demigods

  1. 1

    A fearful sound came from within the pillar. It appeared to crack the covering of the universe.

  2. 2

    The sound reached even the abodes of demigods like Lord Brahmā. They feared that their planets were being destroyed.

  3. 3

    The purport compares their fear to our fear at the sound of a thunderbolt. Even great demigods felt alarm at this thundering sound.

Key points from the purport
  • As we sometimes become very much afraid at the sound of a thunderbolt, perhaps thinking that our houses will be destroyed, the great demigods like Lord Brahmā feared the thundering sound that came from the pillar in front of Hiraṇyakaśipu.

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

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 Hiraṇyakaśipu heard this philosophy from his young son, he derided the boy’s statement as just the talk of a child and forcefully struck the pillar with his fist. As soon as Hiraṇyakaśipu struck the column, there issued forth a tumultuous sound.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tadāat that time
  2. evajust
  3. tasminwithin (the pillar)
  4. ninadaḥa sound
  5. ati-bhīṣaṇaḥvery fearful
  6. babhūvathere was
  7. yenaby which
  8. aṇḍa-kaṭāhamthe covering of the universe
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “fearful”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “heard”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the demigods’ fear help me recognize the limits of worldly security?

Practice

Reread the description of the sound and spend a moment reflecting on how even Lord Brahmā felt afraid.

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 7.8's connections

Live this todayThe Sound Frightens Even Great DemigodsThis 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 7.8.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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