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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 19: Lord Vāmanadeva Begs Charity from Bali Mahārāja
8.19.168.19.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.19.17

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Vāmanadevasince 8.19.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नान्यत् ते कामये राजन्वदान्याज्जगदीश्वरात् ।

नैन: प्राप्नोति वै विद्वान्यावदर्थप्रतिग्रह: ॥ १७ ॥

nānyat te kāmaye rājan

vadānyāj jagad-īśvarāt

nainaḥ prāpnoti vai vidvān

yāvad-artha-pratigrahaḥ

Translation

O King, controller of the entire universe, although you are very munificent and are able to give Me as much land as I want, I do not want anything from you that is unnecessary. If a learned brāhmaṇa takes charity from others only according to his needs, he does not become entangled in sinful activities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Use Only What You Need

  1. 1

    All property belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His children have the right to use it, but no one may take more than necessary.

  2. 2

    Taking and spending extravagantly bring distress and sinful entanglement. Brāhmaṇas and sannyāsīs who depend on others must especially avoid accepting excess charity.

  3. 3

    Vāmanadeva was an ideal beggar because He asked only for three paces of land. Yet His inconceivable prowess allows His footsteps to cover the entire universe.

Key points from the purport
  • A brāhmaṇa or sannyāsī is qualified to ask charity from others, but if he takes more than necessary he is punishable.
  • No one can use more of the Supreme Lord’s property than necessary.
  • The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable prowess, can occupy the entire universe, including the upper, lower and middle planetary systems, by the unlimited measurement of His footsteps.

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

Public loss and humiliation → Total surrender. An apparent external defeat conceals a devotional triumph.

Chapters 19–23 of Canto 8: Vāmana tests Bali; Bali offers everything. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 19: Lord Vāmanadeva Begs Charity from Bali Mahārāja

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When Bali Mahārāja, thinking Vāmanadeva to be the son of a brāhmaṇa, told Him to ask for anything He liked, Lord Vāmanadeva praised Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa for their heroic activities, and after thus praising the family in which Bali Mahārāja had been born, He begged the King for three paces of land.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.19
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. anyatanything else
  3. tefrom you
  4. kāmayeI beg
  5. rājanO King
  6. vadānyātwho are so munificent
  7. jagat-īśvarātwho are the king of the entire universe
  8. nanot
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.19

    In this verse: “king”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 8.19

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 8.19

    In this verse: “distress”

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

Where are you taking or using more of the Lord’s property than you need?

Practice

Before one purchase or serving of food today, pause and take only what you actually need.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUse Only What You NeedThis 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 8.19.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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