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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.9.23

Who is speaking and story frame

द‍ृष्टा मया दिवि विभोऽखिलधिष्ण्यपाना-

मायु: श्रियो विभव इच्छति याञ्जनोऽयम् ।

येऽस्मत्पितु: कुपितहासविजृम्भितभ्रू-

विस्फूर्जितेन लुलिता: स तु ते निरस्त: ॥ २३ ॥

dṛṣṭā mayā divi vibho ’khila-dhiṣṇya-pānām

āyuḥ śriyo vibhava icchati yāñ jano ’yam

ye ’smat pituḥ kupita-hāsa-vijṛmbhita-bhrū-

visphūrjitena lulitāḥ sa tu te nirastaḥ

Translation

My dear Lord, people in general want to be elevated to the higher planetary systems for a long duration of life, opulence and enjoyment, but I have seen all of these through the activities of my father. When my father was angry and he laughed sarcastically at the demigods, they were immediately vanquished simply by seeing the movements of his eyebrows. Yet my father, who was so powerful, has now been vanquished by You within a moment.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Material Power Cannot Endure

  1. 1

    Practical experience shows that material wealth, longevity and influence cannot last. No one can maintain the body or material achievements forever.

  2. 2

    Prahlāda saw that his powerful father could overcome the demigods yet was himself vanquished by the Lord in a moment. He therefore gave no lasting importance to material greatness.

  3. 3

    No one is greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. An intelligent person accepts His call to surrender and seeks freedom from repeated birth, death, old age and disease.

Key points from the purport
  • Within this material world, one should understand by practical experience the value of material opulence, longevity and influence.
  • Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja did not give any importance to anything in this material world.
  • Therefore one should conclusively understand that no one is greater than the Supreme Great.

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:

Although there are so-called material protectors like Lord Brahmā and the other demigods, or even one’s own father, they are unable to do anything if one is neglected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one who has fully taken shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet can be saved from the onslaught of material nature.
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. dṛṣṭāḥhave been seen practically
  2. mayāby me
  3. diviin the higher planetary systems
  4. vibhoO my Lord
  5. akhilaall
  6. dhiṣṇya-pānāmof the chiefs of different states or planets
  7. āyuḥthe duration of life
  8. śriyaḥthe opulences
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “wealth”, “material”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “father”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “death”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which temporary achievement am I treating as a lasting source of security?

Practice

Reflect on one achievement you value, acknowledge that it cannot last forever, and pray for shelter in the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

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

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

7

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayMaterial Power Cannot EndureThis 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 7.9.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.