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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.
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Canto 8 · Chapter 22: Bali Mahārāja Surrenders His Life
8.22.118.22.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.22.12

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.22.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

तस्येत्थं भाषमाणस्य प्रह्लादो भगवत्प्रिय: ।

आजगाम कुरुश्रेष्ठ राकापतिरिवोत्थित: ॥ १२ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

tasyetthaṁ bhāṣamāṇasya

prahrādo bhagavat-priyaḥ

ājagāma kuru-śreṣṭha

rākā-patir ivotthitaḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O best of the Kurus, while Bali Mahārāja was describing his fortunate position in this way, the most dear devotee of the Lord, Prahlāda Mahārāja, appeared there, like the moon rising in the nighttime.

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.

The Arrival of a Dear Devotee

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja was describing his fortunate position when Prahlāda Mahārāja appeared.

  2. 2

    Prahlāda Mahārāja is described as the most dear devotee of the Lord.

  3. 3

    His arrival is compared to the moon rising in the nighttime, giving a gentle, beautiful picture of his presence.

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:

While Bali Mahārāja, having been arrested by the ropes of Varuṇa, was offering prayers to the Lord, his grandfather Prahlāda Mahārāja appeared there and described how the Supreme Personality of Godhead had delivered Bali Mahārāja by taking his possessions in a tricky way. While Prahlāda Mahārāja was present, Lord Brahmā and Bali’s wife, Vindhyāvali, described the supremacy of the Supreme Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. tasyaBali Mahārāja
  3. itthamin this way
  4. bhāṣamāṇasyawhile describing his fortunate position
  5. prahrādaḥMahārāja Prahlāda, his grandfather
  6. bhagavat-priyaḥthe most favored devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  7. ājagāmaappeared there
  8. kuru-śreṣṭhaO best of the Kurus, Mahārāja Parīkṣit
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “devotee”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does being dear to the Lord mean to me?

Practice

Read the description of Prahlāda Mahārāja’s arrival slowly, reflecting on his being dear to the Lord.

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 8.22's connections

Live this todayThe Arrival of a Dear DevoteeThis 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 8.22.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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