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 19: Lord Vāmanadeva Begs Charity from Bali Mahārāja
8.19.178.19.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.19.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Bali Mahārājasince 8.19.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीबलिरुवाच

अहो ब्राह्मणदायाद वाचस्ते वृद्धसम्मता: ।

त्वं बालो बालिशमति: स्वार्थं प्रत्यबुधो यथा ॥ १८ ॥

śrī-balir uvāca

aho brāhmaṇa-dāyāda

vācas te vṛddha-sammatāḥ

tvaṁ bālo bāliśa-matiḥ

svārthaṁ praty abudho yathā

Translation

Bali Mahārāja said: O son of a brāhmaṇa, Your instructions are as good as those of learned and elderly persons. Nonetheless, You are a boy, and Your intelligence is insufficient. Thus You are not very prudent in regard to Your self-interest.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Acts for His Devotees

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja praised Vāmanadeva’s learned words but thought the boy did not understand His own self-interest.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is full in Himself and owns all material and spiritual planets. He therefore had no personal need for land.

  3. 3

    Vāmanadeva approached Bali for His devotees’ welfare, not His own. Devotees sacrifice personal interests to satisfy the Lord, and the Lord can do anything for their interests.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Vāmanadeva, therefore, had not gone to Bali Mahārāja for His own self-interest.
  • Bali Mahārāja rightly said that Lord Vāmanadeva was not at all prudent in regard to His own personal interests.
  • Lord Vāmanadeva had approached Bali not for His personal welfare but for the welfare of His devotees.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 8.19.18 quotesBG 5.29

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. śrī-baliḥ uvācaBali Mahārāja said
  2. ahoalas
  3. brāhmaṇa-dāyādaO son of a brāhmaṇa
  4. vācaḥthe words
  5. teof You
  6. vṛddha-sammatāḥare certainly acceptable to learned and elderly persons
  7. tvamYou
  8. bālaḥa boy
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.19

    In this verse: “devotees’”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.19

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “welfare”

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

What personal preference could you set aside to better serve the Lord today?

Practice

Perform one small act of devotional service today with the intention of satisfying the Lord rather than gaining something for yourself.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Acts for His DevoteesThis 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 8.19.18? 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