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Study a Verse

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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

8.19.25 8.19.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.19.26

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The Personality of Godheadsince 8.19.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यद‍ृच्छालाभतुष्टस्य तेजो विप्रस्य वर्धते ।

तत् प्रशाम्यत्यसन्तोषादम्भसेवाशुशुक्षणि: ॥ २६ ॥

yadṛcchā-lābha-tuṣṭasya

tejo viprasya vardhate

tat praśāmyaty asantoṣād

ambhasevāśuśukṣaṇiḥ

Translation

A brāhmaṇa who is satisfied with whatever is providentially obtained is increasingly enlightened with spiritual power, but the spiritual potency of a dissatisfied brāhmaṇa decreases, as fire diminishes in potency when water is sprinkled upon it.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Contentment Nourishes Spiritual Power

1
A brāhmaṇa who is satisfied with whatever providence supplies becomes increasingly enlightened with spiritual power.
2
A dissatisfied brāhmaṇa loses spiritual potency.
3
The verse compares dissatisfaction to water sprinkled on fire: it diminishes the fire's strength.

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

Chapter 19: Lord Vāmanadeva Begs Charity from Bali Mahārāja

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Śukrācārya advised Bali Mahārāja to withdraw his promise. He explained that in subduing others, in joking, in responding to danger, in acting for the welfare of others, and so on, one could refuse to fulfill one’s promise, and there would be no fault.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.19