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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
8.23.48.23.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.23.5

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.23.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

लब्धप्रसादं निर्मुक्तं पौत्रं वंशधरं बलिम् ।

निशाम्य भक्तिप्रवण: प्रह्लाद इदमब्रवीत् ॥ ५ ॥

labdha-prasādaṁ nirmuktaṁ

pautraṁ vaṁśa-dharaṁ balim

niśāmya bhakti-pravaṇaḥ

prahrāda idam abravīt

Translation

When Prahlāda Mahārāja heard how Bali Mahārāja, his grandson and descendant, had been released from bondage and had achieved the benediction of the Lord, he spoke as follows in a tone of greatly ecstatic devotion.

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.

Rejoicing in the Lord’s Blessings

  1. 1

    Prahlāda Mahārāja heard that his grandson and descendant, Bali Mahārāja, had been released from bondage.

  2. 2

    He also heard that Bali Mahārāja had received the Lord’s benediction.

  3. 3

    Prahlāda Mahārāja responded by speaking in a tone of greatly ecstatic devotion.

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:

Being fixed in this conclusion, his heart full of ecstatic devotion and his eyes full of tears, he offered obeisances to the Personality of Godhead and then, with his associates, entered the planet known as Sutala. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead satisfied the desire of Aditi and reinstalled Lord Indra.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.23
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. labdha-prasādamwho had achieved the blessings of the Lord
  2. nirmuktamwho was released from bondage
  3. pautramhis grandson
  4. vaṁśa-dharamthe descendant
  5. balimBali Mahārāja
  6. niśāmyaafter overhearing
  7. bhakti-pravaṇaḥin fully ecstatic devotion
  8. prahrādaḥPrahlāda Mahārāja
  9. idamthis
  10. abravītspoke
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.23

    In this verse: “devotion”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “heard”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 8.23

    In this verse: “ecstatic”

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 do I respond when I hear of someone receiving the Lord’s blessings?

Practice

Reread this verse and offer a brief prayer of appreciation for the Lord’s blessing upon Bali Mahārāja.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.23's connections

Live this todayRejoicing in the Lord’s BlessingsThis 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 8.23.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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