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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 9: Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers
7.9.157.9.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.9.16

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

त्रस्तोऽस्म्यहं कृपणवत्सल दु:सहोग्र-

संसारचक्रकदनाद् ग्रसतां प्रणीत: ।

बद्ध: स्वकर्मभिरुशत्तम तेऽङ्‌घ्रिमूलं

प्रीतोऽपवर्गशरणं ह्वयसे कदा नु ॥ १६ ॥

trasto ’smy ahaṁ kṛpaṇa-vatsala duḥsahogra-

saṁsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāṁ praṇītaḥ

baddhaḥ sva-karmabhir uśattama te ’ṅghri-mūlaṁ

prīto ’pavarga-śaraṇaṁ hvayase kadā nu

Translation

O most powerful, insurmountable Lord, who are kind to the fallen souls, I have been put into the association of demons as a result of my activities, and therefore I am very much afraid of my condition of life within this material world. When will that moment come when You will call me to the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are the ultimate goal for liberation from conditional life?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seek Shelter at the Lord’s Lotus Feet

  1. 1

    Conditional life arises according to one’s karma, not because the Lord is to blame. Prahlāda Mahārāja acknowledged that his own activities had placed him among the asuras.

  2. 2

    The Lord is extremely kind to conditioned souls and eager to deliver them. He calls them to surrender and return home, back to Godhead.

  3. 3

    Prahlāda longed for the Lord to call him to the shelter of His lotus feet. Everyone should cultivate this eagerness and become fully trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord is extremely anxious to deliver the conditioned souls, and therefore He instructs all of us to return home, back to Godhead (sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja).
  • Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja expected that the Lord, by His kindness, would call him again to the shelter of His lotus feet.
  • In other words, everyone should be eager to return home, back to Godhead, taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord and thus being fully trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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 9: Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Therefore the ultimate goal of life for every living entity is to attain the position of being servant of the servant of the Lord. The miserable condition of the living entities in the material world can be remedied only by the mercy of the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.9
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. trastaḥfrightened
  2. asmiam
  3. ahamI
  4. kṛpaṇa-vatsalaO my Lord, who are so kind to the fallen souls (who have no spiritual knowledge)
  5. duḥsahaintolerable
  6. ugraferocious
  7. saṁsāra-cakraof the cycle of birth and death
  8. kadanātfrom such a miserable condition
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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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “shelter”, “surrender”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “afraid”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “material”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can you respond to difficult circumstances by seeking the Lord’s shelter rather than blaming Him?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer asking the Lord to help you take shelter of His lotus feet.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

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

1 lecture given on it · quoted in 2 more lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

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 todaySeek Shelter at the Lord’s Lotus FeetThis 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 7.9.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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