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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
8.22.158.22.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.22.16

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Prahlāda Mahārājasince 8.22.16inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीप्रह्लाद उवाच

त्वयैव दत्तं पदमैन्द्रमूर्जितं

हृतं तदेवाद्य तथैव शोभनम् ।

मन्ये महानस्य कृतो ह्यनुग्रहो

विभ्रंशितो यच्छ्रिय आत्ममोहनात् ॥ १६ ॥

śrī-prahrāda uvāca

tvayaiva dattaṁ padam aindram ūrjitaṁ

hṛtaṁ tad evādya tathaiva śobhanam

manye mahān asya kṛto hy anugraho

vibhraṁśito yac chriya ātma-mohanāt

Translation

Prahlāda Mahārāja said: My Lord, it is Your Lordship who gave this Bali the very great opulence of the post of heavenly king, and now, today, it is You who have taken it all away. I think You have acted with equal beauty in both ways. Because his exalted position as King of heaven was putting him in the darkness of ignorance, You have done him a very merciful favor by taking away all his opulence.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Mercy Beyond Material Wealth

  1. 1

    The Lord had given Bali Mahārāja the opulence of heavenly kingship and then taken it away. Prahlāda Mahārāja considered both actions equally beautiful.

  2. 2

    Material opulence can make a person puffed up and forget self-realization. It can create the false impression that one is the owner and master of everything.

  3. 3

    To protect His devotee from this misunderstanding, the Lord sometimes takes away material possessions. His mercy helps the devotee understand his constitutional position.

Key points from the purport
  • It is by the mercy of the Lord that one gets all material opulence, but if such material opulence causes one to become puffed up and forget the process of self-realization, the Lord certainly takes all the opulence away.
  • The Lord bestows mercy upon His devotee by helping him find out his constitutional position.
  • To protect the devotee from such a misunderstanding, the Lord, showing special mercy, sometimes takes away his material possessions.

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 8.22.16 quotesSB 10.88.8

As it is said, yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ.

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:

In Bali Mahārāja’s dynasty there were many asuras who because of their enmity toward Viṣṇu had achieved a destination more exalted than that of many mystic yogīs. Bali Mahārāja specifically remembered the determination of Prahlāda Mahārāja in devotional service.
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-prahrādaḥ uvācaPrahlāda Mahārāja said
  2. tvayāby Your Lordship
  3. evaindeed
  4. dattamwhich had been given
  5. padamthis position
  6. aindramof the King of heaven
  7. ūrjitamvery, very great
  8. hṛtamhas been taken away
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “merciful”, “favor”, “mercy”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “king”, “kingship”

  • 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

Does anything I possess make me feel independent of the Lord?

Practice

Choose one possession and acknowledge that it does not make you its independent owner or master.

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 10.88.8

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

Live this todayThe Lord’s Mercy Beyond Material WealthThis 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 8.22.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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