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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
8.24.308.24.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.24.31

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.24.31inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

इति ब्रुवाणं नृपतिं जगत्पति:

सत्यव्रतं मत्स्यवपुर्युगक्षये ।

विहर्तुकाम: प्रलयार्णवेऽब्रवी-

च्चिकीर्षुरेकान्तजनप्रिय: प्रियम् ॥ ३१ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

iti bruvāṇaṁ nṛpatiṁ jagat-patiḥ

satyavrataṁ matsya-vapur yuga-kṣaye

vihartu-kāmaḥ pralayārṇave ’bravīc

cikīrṣur ekānta-jana-priyaḥ priyam

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When King Satyavrata spoke in this way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who at the end of the yuga had assumed the form of a fish to benefit His devotee and enjoy His pastimes in the water of inundation, responded as follows.

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 Lord Acts for His Devotee’s Benefit

  1. 1

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the Supreme Personality of Godhead responding to King Satyavrata’s words.

  2. 2

    The Lord had assumed the form of a fish at the end of the yuga to benefit His devotee.

  3. 3

    He also desired to enjoy His pastimes in the water of inundation.

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:

To receive the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, King Satyavrata engaged in the austerity of subsisting only by drinking water. Once, while performing this austerity on the bank of the Kṛtamālā River and offering oblations of water with the palm of his hand, he found a small fish.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.24
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. itithus
  3. bruvāṇamspeaking like that
  4. nṛpatimunto the King
  5. jagat-patiḥthe master of the entire universe
  6. satyavratamunto Satyavrata
  7. matsya-vapuḥthe Lord, who had assumed the form of a fish
  8. yuga-kṣayeat the end of a yuga
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 8.24

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • 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

How does the Lord’s intention to benefit His devotee deepen my trust in Him?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer acknowledging the Lord’s care for His devotee.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Acts for His Devotee’s BenefitThis 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 8.24.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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