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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

8.24.59 8.24.61

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.24.60

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.24.54inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अवतारं हरेर्योऽयं कीर्तयेदन्वहं नर: ।

सङ्कल्पास्तस्य सिध्यन्ति स याति परमां गतिम् ॥ ६० ॥

avatāraṁ harer yo ’yaṁ

kīrtayed anvahaṁ naraḥ

saṅkalpās tasya sidhyanti

sa yāti paramāṁ gatim

Translation

One who narrates this description of the Matsya incarnation and King Satyavrata will certainly have all his ambitions fulfilled, and he will undoubtedly return home, back to Godhead.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Narrate the Lord’s Activities and Return Home

1
This verse encourages narrating the description of the Matsya incarnation and King Satyavrata.
2
One who narrates this account will certainly have all ambitions fulfilled.
3
The promised destination is to return home, back to Godhead.

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

Chapter 24: Matsya, the Lord’s Fish Incarnation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

King Satyavrata took his next birth as Vaivasvata Manu, who is mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā. Vivasvān manave prāha: the sun-god spoke the science of Bhagavad-gītā to his son Manu.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.24

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

avatāramincarnation
hareḥof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
yaḥwhoever
ayamhe
kīrtayetnarrates and chants
anvahamdaily
naraḥsuch a person
saṅkalpāḥall ambitions

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.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the promise of returning to Godhead shape what I hope for?

Practice

Briefly retell the account of Matsya and Satyavrata aloud, keeping close to the translations.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayNarrate the Lord’s Activities and Return HomeThis 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 8.24.60? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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