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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

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

8.19.34 8.19.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.19.35

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukrācāryasince 8.19.30inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

निष्ठां ते नरके मन्ये ह्यप्रदातु: प्रतिश्रुतम् ।

प्रतिश्रुतस्य योऽनीश: प्रतिपादयितुं भवान् ॥ ३५ ॥

niṣṭhāṁ te narake manye

hy apradātuḥ pratiśrutam

pratiśrutasya yo ’nīśaḥ

pratipādayituṁ bhavān

Translation

You will certainly be unable to fulfill your promise, and I think that because of this inability your eternal residence will be in hell.

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.

A Warning About an Unfulfilled Promise

1
The speaker declares that the promised gift cannot be given in full.
2
He connects this inability to fulfill the promise with a severe consequence: eternal residence in hell.
3
The words “I think” present this as the speaker's judgment about the promised gift.

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:

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. By this philosophy, Śukrācārya tried to dissuade Bali Mahārāja from giving land to Lord Vāmanadeva.

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