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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
8.22.198.22.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.22.20

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrīmatī Vindhyāvalisince 8.22.20inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीविन्ध्यावलिरुवाच

क्रीडार्थमात्मन इदं त्रिजगत् कृतं ते

स्वाम्यं तु तत्र कुधियोऽपर ईश कुर्यु: ।

कर्तु: प्रभोस्तव किमस्यत आवहन्ति

त्यक्तह्रियस्त्वदवरोपितकर्तृवादा: ॥ २० ॥

śrī-vindhyāvalir uvāca

krīḍārtham ātmana idaṁ tri-jagat kṛtaṁ te

svāmyaṁ tu tatra kudhiyo ’para īśa kuryuḥ

kartuḥ prabhos tava kim asyata āvahanti

tyakta-hriyas tvad-avaropita-kartṛ-vādāḥ

Translation

Śrīmatī Vindhyāvali said: O my Lord, You have created the entire universe for the enjoyment of Your personal pastimes, but foolish, unintelligent men have claimed proprietorship for material enjoyment. Certainly they are shameless agnostics. Falsely claiming proprietorship, they think they can give charity and enjoy. In such a condition, what good can they do for You, who are the independent creator, maintainer and annihilator of this universe?

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Everything Belongs to the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The Lord created the universe for His personal pastimes and remains its independent creator, maintainer and annihilator. Claiming His property as our own for enjoyment or charity is a demoniac conception.

  2. 2

    Even the body belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who supplies it according to the living entity’s material desires. Vindhyāvali therefore challenged Bali Mahārāja’s claim of ownership and prayed for his release by the Lord’s causeless mercy.

  3. 3

    The purport stresses the need for the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to benefit people misled by those who deny God’s authority. Recognizing the Supreme Lord’s ownership directs us toward His service rather than independent enjoyment.

Key points from the purport
  • But the demons, instead of accepting the exclusive proprietorship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, claim the property of the universe for themselves through demarcations of nationalism.
  • Bali Mahārāja’s wife accused Bali Mahārāja by saying that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead had arrested him, showing him extraordinary mercy, and although Bali Mahārāja was offering his body to the Supreme Lord for the Lord’s third step, he was still in the darkness of ignorance.
  • The body actually does not belong to the living entity; it belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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· 2

The purport of SB 8.22.20 quotesBG 16.13

This is described in Bhagavad-gītā (16.13): idam adya mayā labdham imaṁ prāpsye manoratham.

The purport of SB 8.22.20 quotesBG 18.61

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61): The Lord is situated in the core of everyone’s heart, and, according to the material desires of the living entity, the Lord offers a particular type of machine — the body — through the agency of the material energy.

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:

Considering all these points, he decided to give his head in charity as the place for Viṣṇu’s third step. Bali Mahārāja also considered how great personalities give up their family relationships and material possessions to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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. śrī-vindhyāvaliḥ uvācaVindhyāvali, the wife of Bali Mahārāja, said
  2. krīḍā-arthamfor the sake of pastimes
  3. ātmanaḥof Yourself
  4. idamthis
  5. tri-jagatthe three worlds (this universe)
  6. kṛtamwas created
  7. teby You
  8. svāmyamproprietorship
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How would accepting the Lord’s ownership change the way I use my body and possessions?

Practice

Use one possession in devotional service today, consciously remembering that it belongs to the Supreme Lord.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEverything Belongs to the Supreme LordThis 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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