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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
7.9.267.9.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.9.27

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

नैषा परावरमतिर्भवतो ननु स्या-

ज्जन्तोर्यथात्मसुहृदो जगतस्तथापि ।

संसेवया सुरतरोरिव ते प्रसाद:

सेवानुरूपमुदयो न परावरत्वम् ॥ २७ ॥

naiṣā parāvara-matir bhavato nanu syāj

jantor yathātma-suhṛdo jagatas tathāpi

saṁsevayā surataror iva te prasādaḥ

sevānurūpam udayo na parāvaratvam

Translation

Unlike an ordinary living entity, my Lord, You do not discriminate between friends and enemies, the favorable and the unfavorable, because for You there is no conception of higher and lower. Nonetheless, You offer Your benedictions according to the level of one’s service, exactly as a desire tree delivers fruits according to one’s desires and makes no distinction between the lower and the higher.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Responds to Surrender and Service

  1. 1

    Every living being is an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. He rewards each person according to surrender and service, without dividing people into those He likes and dislikes.

  2. 2

    Our desires determine our higher or lower positions; the Lord is not responsible for those distinctions. Those who desire to return home, back to Godhead, can attain that destination by His grace.

  3. 3

    Whether one has no material desires, desires material results, or seeks liberation, one should earnestly worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Complete perfection culminates in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Key points from the purport
  • According to the service the living entity renders, he automatically receives benedictions from Kṛṣṇa, who does not make distinctions, thinking, “Here is a person in an intimate relationship with Me, and here is a person I dislike.”
  • If one is inclined to dictate that the Lord grant something, one receives benedictions according to his desires.
  • Therefore, one’s position is determined by one’s desires; the Lord is not responsible for the higher or lower grades of our existence.

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· 3

The purport of SB 7.9.27 quotesBG 4.11

In Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) the Lord clearly says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: “As one surrenders to Me, I reward him accordingly.”

The purport of SB 7.9.27 quotesBG 9.25

This is further explained quite definitely in Bhagavad-gītā (9.25) by the Lord Himself: Some people want to be promoted to the heavenly planets, some want to be promoted to Pitṛloka, and some want to remain on earth, but if one is interested in returning home, back to Godhead, he can be promoted there also.

The purport of SB 7.9.27 quotesSB 2.3.10

“Whether one is without desire [the condition of the devotees], or is desirous of all fruitive results, or is after liberation, one should with all efforts try to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead for complete perfection, culminating in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”

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 9: Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Although the entire cosmic manifestation is nondifferent, the material world is nonetheless different from the spiritual world. Only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord can one understand how the wonderful material nature acts.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.9
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. eṣāthis
  3. para-avaraof higher or lower
  4. matiḥsuch discrimination
  5. bhavataḥof Your Lordship
  6. nanuindeed
  7. syātthere can be
  8. jantoḥof ordinary living entities
3

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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “favorable”, “grace”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “friends”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.9

    In this verse: “worship”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Are my desires drawing me toward service to Kṛṣṇa or toward temporary rewards?

Practice

Before one act of devotional service today, pause and express your desire to serve Kṛṣṇa rather than merely receive a material benefit.

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.

The purport quotesSB 2.3.10

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 7.9's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Responds to Surrender and 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.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 7.9.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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