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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
8.22.28.22.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.22.3

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Bali Mahārājasince 8.22.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बिभेमि नाहं निरयात् पदच्युतो

न पाशबन्धाद् व्यसनाद् दुरत्ययात् ।

नैवार्थकृच्छ्राद् भवतो विनिग्रहा-

दसाधुवादाद् भृशमुद्विजे यथा ॥ ३ ॥

bibhemi nāhaṁ nirayāt pada-cyuto

na pāśa-bandhād vyasanād duratyayāt

naivārtha-kṛcchrād bhavato vinigrahād

asādhu-vādād bhṛśam udvije yathā

Translation

I do not fear being deprived of all my possessions, living in hellish life, being arrested for poverty by the ropes of Varuṇa or being punished by You as much as I fear defamation.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Value Truthfulness More Than Personal Comfort

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja feared defamation more than losing his possessions, poverty, imprisonment or punishment.

  2. 2

    Although fully surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he could not tolerate being known for cheating a brāhmaṇa-brahmacārī.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s counsel was to prevent defamation by offering his head. A Vaiṣṇava does not fear punishment.

Key points from the purport
  • Although Bali Mahārāja fully surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he could not tolerate being defamed for cheating a brāhmaṇa-brahmacārī.
  • Being quite alert in regard to his reputation, he thought deeply about how to prevent being defamed.
  • The Lord, therefore, gave him the good counsel to prevent defamation by offering his head.

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 8.22.3 quotesSB 6.17.28

A Vaiṣṇava does not fear any punishment.

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:

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. bibhemiI do fear
  2. nanot
  3. ahamI
  4. nirayātfrom a position in hell
  5. pada-cyutaḥnor do I fear being deprived of my position
  6. nanor
  7. pāśa-bandhātfrom being arrested by the ropes of Varuṇa
  8. vyasanātnor from the distress
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “fear”, “feared”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “surrendered”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I willing to accept discomfort rather than leave my word unfulfilled?

Practice

Review one promise you have made and take a concrete step to keep it.

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 6.17.28

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

Live this todayValue Truthfulness More Than Personal ComfortThis 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 8.22.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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