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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
7.8.87.8.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.9

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Prahlāda Mahārājasince 7.8.9inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

जह्यासुरं भावमिमं त्वमात्मन:

समं मनो धत्स्व न सन्ति विद्विष: ।

ऋतेऽजितादात्मन उत्पथे स्थितात्

तद्धि ह्यनन्तस्य महत्समर्हणम् ॥ ९ ॥

jahy āsuraṁ bhāvam imaṁ tvam ātmanaḥ

samaṁ mano dhatsva na santi vidviṣaḥ

ṛte ’jitād ātmana utpathe sthitāt

tad dhi hy anantasya mahat samarhaṇam

Translation

Prahlāda Mahārāja continued: My dear father, please give up your demoniac mentality. Do not discriminate in your heart between enemies and friends; make your mind equipoised toward everyone. Except for the uncontrolled and misguided mind, there is no enemy within this world. When one sees everyone on the platform of equality, one then comes to the position of worshiping the Lord perfectly.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Control the Mind Through Devotional Service

  1. 1

    Prahlāda asked his father to give up his demoniac mentality and become equal toward everyone, rather than dividing people into friends and enemies.

  2. 2

    The uncontrolled, misguided mind is the real enemy. The bona fide way to control it is to fix it at the Lord’s lotus feet through service.

  3. 3

    Seeing living entities equally is a preliminary condition for entering devotional service. Such equality leads toward perfect worship of the Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • Unless one is able to fix the mind at the lotus feet of the Lord, the mind is impossible to control.
  • The only bona fide process for controlling the mind is to fix the mind by service to the Lord.
  • We create enemies and friends according to the dictation of the mind, but actually there are no enemies and friends.

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 7.8.9 quotesBG 6.34

As Arjuna says in Bhagavad-gītā (6.34): “For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Kṛṣṇa, and to subdue it, it seems to me, is more difficult than controlling the wind.”

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:

Hiraṇyakaśipu was so angry that Prahlāda Mahārāja fell down at his feet and said many things just to pacify him, but he was unsuccessful in satisfying his demoniac father.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. jahijust give up
  2. āsuramdemoniac
  3. bhāvamtendency
  4. imamthis
  5. tvamyou (my dear father)
  6. ātmanaḥof yourself
  7. samamequal
  8. manaḥthe mind
3

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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshiping”, “devotional service”, “worship”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “give up”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “friends”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How is my mind encouraging me to label someone as an enemy?

Practice

When a hostile thought arises today, pause and spend a minute fixing your mind on the Lord’s lotus feet.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayControl the Mind Through Devotional ServiceThis 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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