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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
8.16.68.16.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.16.7

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.16.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

गृहेषु येष्वतिथयो नार्चिता: सलिलैरपि ।

यदि निर्यान्ति ते नूनं फेरुराजगृहोपमा: ॥ ७ ॥

gṛheṣu yeṣv atithayo

nārcitāḥ salilair api

yadi niryānti te nūnaṁ

pherurāja-gṛhopamāḥ

Translation

Homes from which guests go away without having been received even with an offering of a little water are like those holes in the field which are the homes of jackals.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hospitality Makes a Home Welcoming

  1. 1

    Guests should not leave a home without being received, even with a little water.

  2. 2

    The verse compares homes that neglect guests to holes in a field where jackals live.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that no one seeks shelter in such holes. A human home should not similarly turn away uninvited guests through neglect.

Key points from the purport
  • In a field there may be holes made by snakes and mice, but when there are very big holes, it may be supposed that jackals live there.
  • Certainly no one goes to take shelter in such homes.
  • Thus the homes of human beings where atithis, uninvited guests, are not properly received are like the homes of jackals.

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

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:

Since the demigods were not visible in the heavenly kingdom, their mother, Aditi, because of separation from them, was very much aggrieved. One day after many, many years, the great sage Kaśyapa emerged from a trance of meditation and returned to his āśrama.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gṛheṣuat home
  2. yeṣuwhich
  3. atithayaḥuninvited guests
  4. nanot
  5. arcitāḥwelcomed
  6. salilaiḥ apieven by offering a glass of water
  7. yadiif
  8. niryāntithey go away
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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 8.16

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

Would an unexpected visitor find a welcome in my home?

Practice

If a guest arrives today, offer water before turning back to your other tasks.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHospitality Makes a Home WelcomingThis 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 8.16.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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