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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 18: Lord Vāmanadeva, the Dwarf Incarnation
8.18.288.18.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.18.29

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Bali Mahārājasince 8.18.29inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीबलिरुवाच

स्वागतं ते नमस्तुभ्यं ब्रह्मन्किं करवाम ते ।

ब्रह्मर्षीणां तप: साक्षान्मन्ये त्वार्य वपुर्धरम् ॥ २९ ॥

śrī-balir uvāca

svāgataṁ te namas tubhyaṁ

brahman kiṁ karavāma te

brahmarṣīṇāṁ tapaḥ sākṣān

manye tvārya vapur-dharam

Translation

Bali Mahārāja then said to Lord Vāmanadeva: O brāhmaṇa, I offer You my hearty welcome and my respectful obeisances. Please let us know what we may do for You. We think of You as the personified austerity of the great brāhmaṇa-sages.

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.

Welcome the Lord and Offer Service

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja offered Lord Vāmanadeva a hearty welcome and respectful obeisances.

  2. 2

    He asked the Lord to let them know what they could do for Him. His welcome expressed a readiness to serve.

  3. 3

    Addressing Him as a brāhmaṇa, Bali Mahārāja regarded Him as the personified austerity of the great brāhmaṇa-sages.

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:

All the great sages expressed their jubilation, and with Kaśyapa Muni before them they performed the birthday ceremony of Lord Vāmana. At the time of Lord Vāmanadeva’s sacred thread ceremony, He was honored by the sun-god, Bṛhaspati, the goddess presiding over the planet earth, the deity of the heavenly planets, His mother, Lord Brahmā, Kuvera, the seven ṛṣis and others.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-baliḥ uvācaBali Mahārāja said
  2. su-āgatamall welcome
  3. teunto You
  4. namaḥ tubhyamI offer my respectful obeisances unto You
  5. brahmanO brāhmaṇa
  6. kimwhat
  7. karavāmacan we do
  8. tefor You
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 can you cultivate Bali Mahārāja’s readiness to ask what service is needed?

Practice

Offer a short prayer expressing your willingness to serve the Lord today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWelcome the Lord and Offer 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.

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