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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 chapters

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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 8 · Chapter 15: Bali Mahārāja Conquers the Heavenly Planets

8.15.12 8.15.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.15.13

Sthāna· The universe in order

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.15.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

हंससारसचक्राह्वकारण्डवकुलाकुला: ।

नलिन्यो यत्र क्रीडन्ति प्रमदा: सुरसेविता: ॥ १३ ॥

haṁsa-sārasa-cakrāhva-

kāraṇḍava-kulākulāḥ

nalinyo yatra krīḍanti

pramadāḥ sura-sevitāḥ

Translation

Beautiful women protected by the demigods sported in the gardens, which had lotus ponds full of swans, cranes, cakravākas and ducks.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Life Around the Heavenly Lotus Ponds

1
Beautiful women sported in the gardens.
2
These women were protected by the demigods.
3
The gardens contained lotus ponds full of swans, cranes, cakravākas, and ducks.

How it feels

Loss and hope → Revelation. A shift in fortune sets up a spiritual test.

Chapters 15–18 of Canto 8: Bali, Aditi and Vāmana's appearance. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 15: Bali Mahārāja Conquers the Heavenly Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In the fight between the demons and the demigods, as described in the Eleventh Chapter of this canto, Bali was defeated, and he died in the fight, but by the grace of Śukrācārya he regained his life. Thus he engaged himself in the service of Śukrācārya, his spiritual master.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.15

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

haṁsaof swans
sārasacranes
cakrāhvabirds known as cakravākas
kāraṇḍavaand water fowl
kulaby groups
ākulāḥcongested
nalinyaḥlotus flowers
yatrawhere

Key ideas in this verse

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

Sthāna · Planetary systems
How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10
Rakṣā · Divine protection
Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 8.15
In this verse: “protected”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How do the lotus ponds and birds add to your picture of these gardens?

Practice

Read the verse once more and recall the four kinds of birds named in the lotus ponds.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLife Around the Heavenly Lotus PondsThis 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 8.15.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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