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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
8.22.48.22.6-7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.22.5

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Bali Mahārājasince 8.22.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

त्वं नूनमसुराणां न: परोक्ष: परमो गुरु: ।

यो नोऽनेकमदान्धानां विभ्रंशं चक्षुरादिशत् ॥ ५ ॥

tvaṁ nūnam asurāṇāṁ naḥ

parokṣaḥ paramo guruḥ

yo no ’neka-madāndhānāṁ

vibhraṁśaṁ cakṣur ādiśat

Translation

Since Your Lordship is indirectly the greatest well-wisher of us demons, You act for our best welfare by posing as if our enemy. Because demons like us always aspire for a position of false prestige, by chastising us You give us the eyes by which to see the right path.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Removes Blinding False Prestige

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the demons’ greatest well-wisher, even when He appeared to be their enemy.

  2. 2

    Increasing material possessions can make a person increasingly blind to spiritual life.

  3. 3

    False prestige misguides us. The Supreme Lord’s removal of that prestige is a special favor that helps us see the right path.

Key points from the purport
  • Bali Mahārāja considered the Supreme Personality of Godhead a better friend to the demons than to the demigods.
  • The demigods are devotees of the Lord for the sake of material possessions, but although the demons apparently do not have the Supreme Personality of Godhead on their side, He always acts as their well-wisher by depriving them of their positions of false prestige.
  • By false prestige one is misguided, so the Supreme Lord takes away their position of false prestige as a special favor.

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:

Being unable to keep his promise, he was very much afraid, for he knew that one who has deviated from truthfulness is insignificant in the eyes of society. An exalted person can suffer the consequences of hellish life, but he is very much afraid of being defamed for deviation from the truth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamYour Lordship
  2. nūnamindeed
  3. asurāṇāmof the demons
  4. naḥas we are
  5. parokṣaḥindirect
  6. paramaḥthe supreme
  7. guruḥspiritual master
  8. yaḥYour Lordship
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “welfare”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 8.22

    In this verse: “favor”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What possession or position makes it harder for me to see my need for spiritual life?

Practice

Identify one source of pride and offer a brief prayer for freedom from that false prestige.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Removes Blinding False PrestigeThis 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 8.22.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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