1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 18: Lord Vāmanadeva, the Dwarf Incarnation
8.18.208.18.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.18.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.18.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तं नर्मदायास्तट उत्तरे बले-

र्य ऋत्विजस्ते भृगुकच्छसंज्ञके ।

प्रवर्तयन्तो भृगव: क्रतूत्तमं

व्यचक्षतारादुदितं यथा रविम् ॥ २१ ॥

taṁ narmadāyās taṭa uttare baler

ya ṛtvijas te bhṛgukaccha-saṁjñake

pravartayanto bhṛgavaḥ kratūttamaṁ

vyacakṣatārād uditaṁ yathā ravim

Translation

While engaged in performing the sacrifice in the field known as Bhṛgukaccha, on the northern bank of the Narmadā River, the brahminical priests, the descendants of Bhṛgu, saw Vāmanadeva to be like the sun rising nearby.

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.

Vāmanadeva Appears Like the Rising Sun

  1. 1

    The sacrifice was taking place at Bhṛgukaccha, on the northern bank of the Narmadā River.

  2. 2

    The priests performing the sacrifice were descendants of Bhṛgu.

  3. 3

    While engaged in the sacrifice, they saw Vāmanadeva nearby, like the rising sun.

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 18: Lord Vāmanadeva, the Dwarf Incarnation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lord Vāmanadeva then visited the sacrificial arena on the northern side of the Narmadā River, at the field known as Bhṛgukaccha, where brāhmaṇas of the Bhṛgu dynasty were performing yajñas. Wearing a belt made of muñja straw, an upper garment of deerskin and a sacred thread and carrying in His hands a daṇḍa, an umbrella and a waterpot ( kamaṇḍalu), Lord Vāmanadeva appeared in the sacrificial arena of Mahārāja Bali.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tamHim (Vāmanadeva)
  2. narmadāyāḥof the river Narmadā
  3. taṭeon the bank
  4. uttarenorthern
  5. baleḥof Mahārāja Bali
  6. yewho
  7. ṛtvijaḥthe priests engaged in ritualistic ceremonies
  8. teall of them
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the comparison with the rising sun shape my appreciation of Vāmanadeva’s arrival?

Practice

Reread the verse slowly, then spend a moment remembering Vāmanadeva’s sunlike appearance.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.18's connections

Live this todayVāmanadeva Appears Like the Rising SunThis 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 8.18.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories