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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

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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

8.19.2 8.19.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.19.3

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 8.19.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न ह्येतस्मिन्कुले कश्चिन्नि:सत्त्व: कृपण: पुमान् ।

प्रत्याख्याता प्रतिश्रुत्य यो वादाता द्विजातये ॥ ३ ॥

na hy etasmin kule kaścin

niḥsattvaḥ kṛpaṇaḥ pumān

pratyākhyātā pratiśrutya

yo vādātā dvijātaye

Translation

I know that even until now, no one taking birth in your family has been poor-minded or miserly. No one has refused to give charity to brāhmaṇas, nor after promising to give charity has anyone failed to fulfill his promise.

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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.

Be Generous and Keep Your Promises

1
The Lord says that no one in Bali Mahārāja’s family had been poor-minded or miserly.
2
No one in that family had refused charity to brāhmaṇas.
3
After promising charity, no one had failed to fulfill the promise. Their generosity was supported by dependable action.

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:

This Nineteenth Chapter describes how Lord Vāmanadeva asked for three paces of land in charity, how Bali Mahārāja agreed to His proposal, and how Śukrācārya forbade Bali Mahārāja to fulfill Lord Vāmanadeva’s request.

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