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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 23: The Demigods Regain the Heavenly Planets
8.23.168.23.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.23.17

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukrācāryasince 8.23.15inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तथापि वदतो भूमन् करिष्याम्यनुशासनम् ।

एतच्छ्रेय: परं पुंसां यत् तवाज्ञानुपालनम् ॥ १७ ॥

tathāpi vadato bhūman

kariṣyāmy anuśāsanam

etac chreyaḥ paraṁ puṁsāṁ

yat tavājñānupālanam

Translation

Lord Viṣṇu, I must nonetheless act in obedience to Your order because obeying Your order is most auspicious and is the first duty of everyone.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Obeying the Lord Is Our First Duty

  1. 1

    Śukrācārya tells Lord Viṣṇu that he must act in obedience to His order.

  2. 2

    He recognizes that obeying the Lord’s order is most auspicious.

  3. 3

    Obedience to the Lord is described as everyone’s first duty, not merely Śukrācārya’s personal responsibility.

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 23: The Demigods Regain the Heavenly Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then, with folded hands, he offered his respectful obeisances unto the Lord, and after circumambulating the Lord he also entered the planet Sutala in accordance with the Lord’s order. The Lord then ordered Śukrācārya to describe Bali Mahārāja’s faults and discrepancies in executing the sacrificial ceremony.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.23
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathāpialthough there was no fault on the part of Bali Mahārāja
  2. vadataḥbecause of your order
  3. bhūmanO Supreme
  4. kariṣyāmiI must execute
  5. anuśāsanambecause it is Your order
  6. etatthis is
  7. śreyaḥthat which is the most auspicious
  8. paramsupreme
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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 8.23

    In this verse: “duty”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I view obedience to the Lord as a welcome duty or an interruption to my plans?

Practice

Before your devotional service today, pause and remember that serving the Lord takes priority over personal preference.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayObeying the Lord Is Our First DutyThis 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 8.23.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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