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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 22: Bali Mahārāja Surrenders His Life
8.22.108.22.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.22.11

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Bali Mahārājasince 8.22.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अथाहमप्यात्मरिपोस्तवान्तिकं

दैवेन नीत: प्रसभं त्याजितश्री: ।

इदं कृतान्तान्तिकवर्ति जीवितं

ययाध्रुवं स्तब्धमतिर्न बुध्यते ॥ ११ ॥

athāham apy ātma-ripos tavāntikaṁ

daivena nītaḥ prasabhaṁ tyājita-śrīḥ

idaṁ kṛtāntāntika-varti jīvitaṁ

yayādhruvaṁ stabdha-matir na budhyate

Translation

Only by providence have I been forcibly brought under Your lotus feet and deprived of all my opulence. Because of the illusion created by temporary opulence, people in general, who live under material conditions, facing accidental death at every moment, do not understand that this life is temporary. Only by providence have I been saved from that condition.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize Mercy Beyond Material Prosperity

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja recognized Lord Viṣṇu as the family’s best friend, not its enemy. He saw the loss of his opulence as special favor bringing him toward eternal life.

  2. 2

    Temporary opulence can bewilder people into forgetting that life is temporary and death may come at any moment.

  3. 3

    Those established in Kṛṣṇa consciousness understand life’s aim and avoid the race for material prosperity. If a sincere devotee falls, the Lord corrects him and saves him from a bewildered materialistic life.

Key points from the purport
  • As described by Bali Mahārāja, Lord Viṣṇu was actually not the enemy of the family but the best friend of the family.
  • Those who are completely established in Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy and who therefore understand the aim of life will never take to the activities of the materialistic dog race.
  • Bali Mahārāja appreciated how the Lord had saved him from such a bewildered life of ignorance.

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 8.22.11 quotesSB 7.5.30

punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām. The materialistic way of life is nothing but the repeated chewing of that which has already been chewed.

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 22: Bali Mahārāja Surrenders His Life

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

An exalted person can suffer the consequences of hellish life, but he is very much afraid of being defamed for deviation from the truth. Bali Mahārāja agreed with great pleasure to accept the punishment awarded him by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athatherefore
  2. ahamI
  3. apialso
  4. ātma-ripoḥwho are the traditional enemy of the family
  5. tavaof Your good self
  6. antikamthe shelter
  7. daivenaby providence
  8. nītaḥbrought in
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “illusion”, “material”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “death”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “saved”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I measuring the Lord’s favor mainly by material prosperity or by progress in devotional life?

Practice

Replace ten minutes of pursuing an unnecessary material gain with devotional service today.

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 7.5.30

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.22's connections

Live this todayRecognize Mercy Beyond Material ProsperityThis 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 8.22.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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