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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 20: Bali Mahārāja Surrenders the Universe
8.20.38.20.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.20.4

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Bali Mahārājasince 8.20.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न ह्यसत्यात् परोऽधर्म इति होवाच भूरियम् ।

सर्वं सोढुमलं मन्ये ऋतेऽलीकपरं नरम् ॥ ४ ॥

na hy asatyāt paro ’dharma

iti hovāca bhūr iyam

sarvaṁ soḍhum alaṁ manye

ṛte ’līka-paraṁ naram

Translation

There is nothing more sinful than untruthfulness. Because of this, mother earth once said, “I can bear any heavy thing except a person who is a liar.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Truthfulness Lightens the Earth's Burden

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja declares that nothing is more sinful than untruthfulness.

  2. 2

    Mother earth can carry heavy mountains and oceans, yet she feels overburdened by even one liar.

  3. 3

    In Kali-yuga, lying is common even in ordinary dealings. Speaking lies brings sinful reactions and burdens the earth and the entire universe.

Key points from the purport
  • On the surface of the earth there are many great mountains and oceans that are very heavy, and mother earth has no difficulty carrying them.
  • But she feels very much overburdened when she carries even one person who is a liar.
  • Under the circumstances, one can just imagine how this has overburdened the earth, and indeed the entire universe.

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 8.20.4 quotesSB 12.2.3

It is said that in Kali-yuga lying is a common affair: māyaiva vyāvahārike.

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 20: Bali Mahārāja Surrenders the Universe

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Everyone should be afraid of the sinful reactions to lying, for mother earth cannot even bear the weight of a sinful liar. The spreading of a kingdom or empire is temporary; if there is no benefit for the general public, such expansion has no value.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.20
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. hiindeed
  3. asatyātthan compulsion to untruthfulness
  4. paraḥmore
  5. adharmaḥirreligion
  6. itithus
  7. ha uvācaindeed had spoken
  8. bhūḥmother earth
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 8.20

    In this verse: “mother”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 8.20

    In this verse: “sinful”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

In which ordinary dealings am I tempted to bend the truth?

Practice

In one conversation today, take care to speak accurately without exaggerating or hiding the truth.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 12.2.3

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.20's connections

Live this todayTruthfulness Lightens the Earth's BurdenThis 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 8.20.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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