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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 21: Bali Mahārāja Arrested by the Lord
8.21.6-78.21.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.21.8

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.21.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

जाम्बवानृक्षराजस्तु भेरीशब्दैर्मनोजव: ।

विजयं दिक्षु सर्वासु महोत्सवमघोषयत् ॥ ८ ॥

jāmbavān ṛkṣa-rājas tu

bherī-śabdair mano-javaḥ

vijayaṁ dikṣu sarvāsu

mahotsavam aghoṣayat

Translation

Jāmbavān, king of the bears, also joined in the ceremony. Sounding his bugle in all directions, he declared a great festival for Lord Vāmanadeva’s victory.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Celebrate Lord Vāmanadeva’s Victory

  1. 1

    Jāmbavān, the king of the bears, joined the ceremony.

  2. 2

    He sounded his bugle in all directions, announcing the celebration widely.

  3. 3

    He declared a great festival for Lord Vāmanadeva’s victory. The celebration centered on the Lord.

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 21: Bali Mahārāja Arrested by the Lord

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Ṛkṣarāja, Jāmbavān, played his bugle to vibrate the glories of the Lord. When Bali Mahārāja was deprived of all his possessions, the demons were very angry.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.21
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. jāmbavānwho was named Jāmbavān
  2. ṛkṣa-rājaḥ tuthe king in the form of a bear also
  3. bherī-śabdaiḥby sounding the bugle
  4. manaḥ-javaḥin mental ecstasy
  5. vijayamvictory
  6. dikṣuin all directions
  7. sarvāsueverywhere
  8. mahā-utsavamfestival
  9. aghoṣayatdeclared
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.21

    In this verse: “king”

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

How can I make the Lord’s glory the center of my celebration?

Practice

Speak a short expression of praise for Lord Vāmanadeva’s victory.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.21's connections

Live this todayCelebrate Lord Vāmanadeva’s VictoryThis 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 8.21.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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