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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
8.22.188.22.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.22.19

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.22.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बद्धं वीक्ष्य पतिं साध्वी तत्पत्नी भयविह्वला ।

प्राञ्जलि: प्रणतोपेन्द्रं बभाषेऽवाङ्‌मुखी नृप ॥ १९ ॥

baddhaṁ vīkṣya patiṁ sādhvī

tat-patnī bhaya-vihvalā

prāñjaliḥ praṇatopendraṁ

babhāṣe ’vāṅ-mukhī nṛpa

Translation

But Bali Mahārāja’s chaste wife, afraid and aggrieved at seeing her husband arrested, immediately offered obeisances to Lord Vāmanadeva [Upendra]. She folded her hands and spoke as follows.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Turning to the Lord in Distress

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja’s chaste wife was afraid and aggrieved upon seeing her husband arrested.

  2. 2

    She immediately offered obeisances to Lord Vāmanadeva and folded her hands before speaking.

  3. 3

    The purport identifies her as Vindhyāvali. Lord Brahmā paused because she was very agitated and afraid and wanted to speak.

Key points from the purport
  • Although Lord Brahmā was speaking, he had to stop for a while because Bali Mahārāja’s wife, Vindhyāvali, who was very agitated and afraid, wanted to say something.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. baddhamarrested
  2. vīkṣyaseeing
  3. patimher husband
  4. sādhvīthe chaste woman
  5. tat-patnīBali Mahārāja’s wife
  6. bhaya-vihvalābeing very disturbed by fear
  7. prāñjaliḥwith folded hands
  8. praṇatāhaving offered obeisances
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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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “afraid”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I am distressed, can I still approach the Lord with respect?

Practice

Bring one concern before the Lord in a brief prayer, beginning with folded hands and respect.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTurning to the Lord in DistressThis 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.

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