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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 24: Matsya, the Lord’s Fish Incarnation
8.24.478.24.49

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.24.48

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Kingsince 8.24.46inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यत्सेवयाग्नेरिव रुद्ररोदनं

पुमान् विजह्यान्मलमात्मनस्तम: ।

भजेत वर्णं निजमेष सोऽव्ययो

भूयात् स ईश: परमो गुरोर्गुरु: ॥ ४८ ॥

yat-sevayāgner iva rudra-rodanaṁ

pumān vijahyān malam ātmanas tamaḥ

bhajeta varṇaṁ nijam eṣa so ’vyayo

bhūyāt sa īśaḥ paramo guror guruḥ

Translation

One who wants to be free of material entanglement should take to the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and give up the contamination of ignorance, involving pious and impious activities. Thus one regains his original identity, just as a block of gold or silver sheds all dirt and becomes purified when treated with fire. May that inexhaustible Supreme Personality of Godhead become our spiritual master, for He is the original spiritual master of all other spiritual masters.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Restores Our Original Identity

  1. 1

    Human life is meant for purification so that one can regain one’s spiritual form and leave the cycle of birth and death. Devotional service is the recommended process.

  2. 2

    As fire purifies gold and silver, devotional service awakens the living being’s original identity. As part of Kṛṣṇa, the living being has the right to regain spiritual joy.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original spiritual master. A bona fide guru follows His instructions and spreads Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Key points from the purport
  • As gold and silver can be freed from all dirty contamination by being put into a fire but not merely by being washed, the living entity can be awakened to his own identity by performing devotional service (yat-sevayā), but not by karma, jñāna or yoga.
  • Therefore, one should adopt the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is described here as guror guruḥ, the spiritual master of all other spiritual masters.
  • One cannot become a guru if he does not know what the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa or His incarnation wants.

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

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:

The Personality of Godhead, being pleased with the King, informed him that within a week there would be an inundation throughout the universe and that the fish incarnation would protect the King, along with the ṛṣis, herbs, seeds and other living entities, in a boat, which would be attached to the fish’s horn. After saying this, the Lord disappeared.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.24
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yat-sevayāthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, by serving whom
  2. agneḥin touch with fire
  3. ivaas it is
  4. rudra-rodanama block of silver or gold becomes purified
  5. pumāna person
  6. vijahyātcan give up
  7. malamall the dirty things of material existence
  8. ātmanaḥof one’s self
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 8.24

    In this verse: “purified”, “contamination”, “purification”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.24

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 8.24

    In this verse: “give up”

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

Am I seeking purification through devotional service, or relying only on my own understanding?

Practice

Read the verse’s translation slowly, then pray to serve the Lord and follow His instructions.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotional Service Restores Our Original IdentityThis 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 8.24.48? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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