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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

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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 9: Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers

7.9.10 7.9.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.9.11

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Prahlāda Mahārājasince 7.9.9inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

नैवात्मन: प्रभुरयं निजलाभपूर्णो

मानं जनादविदुष: करुणो वृणीते ।

यद् यज्जनो भगवते विदधीत मानं

तच्चात्मने प्रतिमुखस्य यथा मुखश्री: ॥ ११ ॥

naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo

mānaṁ janād aviduṣaḥ karuṇo vṛṇīte

yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānaṁ

tac cātmane prati-mukhasya yathā mukha-śrīḥ

Translation

The Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always fully satisfied in Himself. Therefore when something is offered to Him, the offering, by the Lord’s mercy, is for the benefit of the devotee, for the Lord does not need service from anyone. To give an example, if one’s face is decorated, the reflection of one’s face in a mirror is also seen to be decorated.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serving the Lord Benefits the Devotee

1
Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is fully satisfied in Himself and does not need our service. By His mercy, He accepts offerings for the devotee’s benefit.
2
Hearing and chanting the Lord’s glories purify the heart. Through this service, one understands that one is a spirit soul whose actual activity is to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
3
Surrender to the Lord benefits both the individual and human society. The more we engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and serve Him, the more we benefit.

Key points from the purport

If human beings individually and collectively surrender everything to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all of human society will benefit.
Therefore although the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, is full in Himself, He appears in different yugas to demand the surrender of the conditioned souls so that they will benefit by becoming free from the material clutches.
In conclusion, the more we engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and render service unto the Lord, the more we benefit.

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 7.9.11 quotesBG 7.15

In Bhagavad-gītā (7.15), the Lord Himself speaks in the same way: “Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.”

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

Chapter 9: Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Lord does not need anyone’s prayers, but if a devotee offers his prayers to the Lord, the devotee benefits greatly. Ignorant persons born in low families, therefore, can sincerely offer heartfelt prayers to the Lord, and the Lord will accept them.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 7.9

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

nanor
evacertainly
ātmanaḥfor His personal benefit
prabhuḥLord
ayamthis
nija-lābha-pūrṇaḥis always satisfied in Himself (He does not need to be satisfied by the service of others)
mānamrespect
janātfrom a person

Key ideas in this verse

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

Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord
How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.9
In this verse: “devotee”, “devotee’s”
Kṛpā · Divine mercy
Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 7.9
In this verse: “mercy”
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 7.9
In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might remembering that Kṛṣṇa needs nothing change the way you offer Him service?

Practice

Spend two minutes glorifying Kṛṣṇa, remembering that this service purifies your own heart.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

5 lectures given on it · quoted in 3 more lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Show 3 more lectures on it

Quoted in 3 other lectures

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayServing the Lord Benefits the DevoteeThis 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 7.9.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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