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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 24: Matsya, the Lord’s Fish Incarnation
8.24.228.24.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.24.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The fishsince 8.24.22inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

इत्युक्त: सोऽनयन्मत्स्यं तत्र तत्राविदासिनि ।

जलाशयेऽसम्मितं तं समुद्रे प्राक्षिपज्झषम् ॥ २३ ॥

ity uktaḥ so ’nayan matsyaṁ

tatra tatrāvidāsini

jalāśaye ’sammitaṁ taṁ

samudre prākṣipaj jhaṣam

Translation

When thus requested, King Satyavrata took the fish to the largest reservoir of water. But when that also proved insufficient, the King at last threw the gigantic fish into the ocean.

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.

The King Responds to the Request

  1. 1

    King Satyavrata responds by taking the fish to the largest reservoir of water.

  2. 2

    Even that reservoir proves insufficient for the fish.

  3. 3

    At last, the King throws the gigantic fish into the ocean.

How it feels

Catastrophe → Trust and protection. Divine guardianship amid destruction closes the canto.

Chapter 24 of Canto 8: Matsya preserves life and knowledge. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 24: Matsya, the Lord’s Fish Incarnation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead took the incarnation of a fish at the beginning of the period of Svāyambhuva Manu and saved the Vedas. During the reign of Cākṣuṣa Manu there was a king named Satyavrata, who was a great pious ruler.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.24
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. iti uktaḥthus being requested
  2. saḥthe King
  3. anayatbrought
  4. matsyamthe fish
  5. tatratherein
  6. tatratherein
  7. avidāsiniwhere the water never diminishes
  8. jala-āśayein the reservoir of water
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.24

    In this verse: “king”

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

What do I notice about Satyavrata’s willingness to keep responding when the first arrangement is insufficient?

Practice

Give one act of help a brief follow-up today to see whether it has met the need.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe King Responds to the RequestThis 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 8.24.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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