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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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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 8 · Chapter 16: Executing the Payo-vrata Process of Worship
8.16.428.16.44-45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.16.43

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Kaśyapa Munisince 8.16.38inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कृत्वा शिरसि तच्छेषां देवमुद्वासयेत् तत: ।

द्वय‍वरान्भोजयेद् विप्रान्पायसेन यथोचितम् ॥ ४३ ॥

kṛtvā śirasi tac-cheṣāṁ

devam udvāsayet tataḥ

dvy-avarān bhojayed viprān

pāyasena yathocitam

Translation

After touching to one’s head all the flowers and water offered to the Deity, one should throw them into a sacred place. Then one should feed at least two brāhmaṇas with sweet rice.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Honor Offered Flowers, Water, and Brāhmaṇas

  1. 1

    The flowers and water offered to the Deity should first be touched to one’s head.

  2. 2

    These offered flowers and water should then be placed in a sacred place.

  3. 3

    Afterward, one should feed at least two brāhmaṇas with sweet rice.

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

Further reading

Chapter 16: Executing the Payo-vrata Process of Worship

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Moved by Aditi’s request, Kaśyapa Muni instructed her in the philosophy of self-realization, the difference between matter and spirit, and how to be unaffected by material loss. But when he saw that Aditi was not satisfied even after he had given these instructions, he advised her to worship Vāsudeva, Janārdana.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṛtvātaking
  2. śirasion the head
  3. tat-śeṣāmall the remnants (the water and flowers offered to the Deity)
  4. devamunto the Deity
  5. udvāsayetshould be thrown into a sacred place
  6. tataḥthereafter
  7. dvi-avarāna minimum of two
  8. bhojayetshould feed
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 8.16

    In this verse: “sweet”

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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How carefully do I handle flowers and water that have been offered to the Deity?

Practice

If you receive flowers offered to the Deity today, touch them to your head and then place them in a sacred place.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHonor Offered Flowers, Water, and BrāhmaṇasThis 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 8.16.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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