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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
8.23.26-278.23.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.23.28

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.23.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सर्वमेतन्मयाख्यातं भवत: कुलनन्दन ।

उरुक्रमस्य चरितं श्रोतृणामघमोचनम् ॥ २८ ॥

sarvam etan mayākhyātaṁ

bhavataḥ kula-nandana

urukramasya caritaṁ

śrotṝṇām agha-mocanam

Translation

O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, pleasure of your dynasty, I have now described to you everything about the wonderful activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vāmanadeva. Those who hear about this are certainly freed from all the results of sinful activities.

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.

Hearing the Lord’s Activities Purifies

  1. 1

    The wonderful activities of Vāmanadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, have now been described to Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

  2. 2

    This account concerns the Lord’s wonderful activities, not merely ordinary events.

  3. 3

    Those who hear this account are certainly freed from all the results of sinful activities.

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:

Having seen the wonderful activities of Lord Viṣṇu in the sacrificial arena of Bali Mahārāja, all the demigods, saintly persons, Pitās, Bhūtas and Siddhas glorified the Lord again and again. The chapter concludes by saying that the most auspicious function of the conditioned soul is to chant and hear about the glorious activities of Lord Viṣṇu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.23
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sarvamall
  2. etatthese incidents
  3. mayāby me
  4. ākhyātamhave been described
  5. bhavataḥof you
  6. kula-nandanaO Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the pleasure of your dynasty
  7. urukramasyaof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  8. caritamactivities
  9. śrotṝṇāmof the audience
  10. agha-mocanamsuch hearing of the Lord’s activities certainly vanquishes the results of sinful activities
3

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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 8.23

    In this verse: “sinful”

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

How might this assurance help me hear the Lord’s activities more attentively?

Practice

Spend five minutes reading aloud or listening to the account of Lord Vāmanadeva’s activities.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHearing the Lord’s Activities PurifiesThis 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 8.23.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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