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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.23.31

Who is speaking and story frame

क्रियमाणे कर्मणीदं दैवे पित्र्येऽथ मानुषे ।

यत्र यत्रानुकीर्त्येत तत् तेषां सुकृतं विदु: ॥ ३१ ॥

kriyamāṇe karmaṇīdaṁ

daive pitrye ’tha mānuṣe

yatra yatrānukīrtyeta

tat teṣāṁ sukṛtaṁ viduḥ

Translation

Whenever the activities of Vāmanadeva are described in the course of a ritualistic ceremony, whether the ceremony be performed to please the demigods, to please one’s forefathers in Pitṛloka, or to celebrate a social event like a marriage, that ceremony should be understood to be extremely auspicious.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Make Celebrations Auspicious Through Recitation

  1. 1

    Ceremonies may be held to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead or the demigods, to celebrate social occasions, or to please the forefathers.

  2. 2

    Although large amounts of money are spent on such ceremonies, the recitation of Vāmanadeva’s wonderful activities should be included.

  3. 3

    With this recitation, the ceremony becomes extremely auspicious, is carried out successfully and is free of all discrepancies.

Key points from the purport
  • There are three kinds of ceremonies — specifically, ceremonies to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead or the demigods, those performed for social celebrations like marriages and birthdays, and those meant to please the forefathers, like the śrāddha ceremony.
  • In all these ceremonies, large amounts of money are spent for various activities, but here it is suggested that if along with this there is recitation of the wonderful activities of Vāmanadeva, certainly the ceremony will be carried out successfully and will be free of all discrepancies.
  • Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Eighth Canto, Twenty-third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Demigods Regain the Heavenly Planets.”

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 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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kriyamāṇeupon the performance
  2. karmaṇiof a ritualistic ceremony
  3. idamthis description of the characteristics of Vāmanadeva
  4. daiveto please the demigods
  5. pitryeor to please the forefathers, as in a śrāddha ceremony
  6. athaeither
  7. mānuṣefor the pleasure of human society, as in marriages
  8. yatrawherever
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 8.23

    In this verse: “recitation”

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 could hearing about Vāmanadeva become part of a celebration in my life?

Practice

Choose a short passage about Vāmanadeva’s activities today to read aloud at your next celebration.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMake Celebrations Auspicious Through RecitationThis 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 8.23.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.