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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

7.9.11 7.9.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.9.12

Mukti· Liberation

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

तस्मादहं विगतविक्लव ईश्वरस्य

सर्वात्मना महि गृणामि यथा मनीषम् ।

नीचोऽजया गुणविसर्गमनुप्रविष्ट:

पूयेत येन हि पुमाननुवर्णितेन ॥ १२ ॥

tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya

sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam

nīco ’jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ

pūyeta yena hi pumān anuvarṇitena

Translation

Therefore, although I was born in a demoniac family, I may without a doubt offer prayers to the Lord with full endeavor, as far as my intelligence allows. Anyone who has been forced by ignorance to enter the material world may be purified of material life if he offers prayers to the Lord and hears the Lord’s glories.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Offer Prayers Regardless of Material Position

1
High birth, wealth, aristocracy and beauty are not qualifications for devotional service. One can offer prayers without considering one’s material position.
2
The devotional attitude is, “God is great, and I am very small.” With this understanding, one accepts the duty of offering prayers to the Lord.
3
Only through devotional service can one understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He is. Prahlāda Mahārāja therefore decided to offer his best prayers according to his ability.

Key points from the purport

Therefore my duty is to offer my prayers to the Lord.”
And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.”
Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja decided to offer his best prayers to the Lord, without consideration of his material position.

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 7.9.12 quotesBG 18.55

As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.55): “One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service.

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:

Ignorant persons born in low families, therefore, can sincerely offer heartfelt prayers to the Lord, and the Lord will accept them. As soon as one offers his prayers to the Lord, he is immediately situated on the Brahman platform.”

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tasmāttherefore
ahamI
vigata-viklavaḥhaving given up contemplation of being unfit
īśvarasyaof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
sarva-ātmanāin full surrender
mahiglory
gṛṇāmiI shall chant or describe
yathā manīṣamaccording to my intelligence

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 7.9
In this verse: “material”, “wealth”
Śuddhi · Inner transformation
The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 7.9
In this verse: “purified”
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.9
In this verse: “devotional service”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do you let your background or abilities make you feel unfit to offer prayers?

Practice

Offer a short, sincere prayer to the Lord in your own words, using whatever understanding you have.

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 2 more lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Show 3 more lectures on it

Quoted in 2 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 todayOffer Prayers Regardless of Material PositionThis 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 7.9.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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