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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 3: Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender
8.3.168.3.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.3.17

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The King of the elephants, Gajendrasince 8.3.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

माद‍ृक्प्रपन्नपशुपाशविमोक्षणाय

मुक्ताय भूरिकरुणाय नमोऽलयाय ।

स्वांशेन सर्वतनुभृन्मनसि प्रतीत-

प्रत्यग्द‍ृशे भगवते बृहते नमस्ते ॥ १७ ॥

mādṛk prapanna-paśu-pāśa-vimokṣaṇāya

muktāya bhūri-karuṇāya namo ’layāya

svāṁśena sarva-tanu-bhṛn-manasi pratīta-

pratyag-dṛśe bhagavate bṛhate namas te

Translation

Since an animal such as me has surrendered unto You, who are supremely liberated, certainly You will release me from this dangerous position. Indeed, being extremely merciful, You incessantly try to deliver me. By your partial feature as Paramātmā, You are situated in the hearts of all embodied beings. You are celebrated as direct transcendental knowledge, and You are unlimited. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Never Neglects Our Deliverance

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin of everyone. No personality is superior to Him.

  2. 2

    By His partial representation as Paramātmā, He maintains the material world and is present in every heart and atom.

  3. 3

    Only Kṛṣṇa can deliver us from material existence, and He is always trying to do so—even before we pray. His unlimited mercy invites us to accept His instructions and surrender.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus Kṛṣṇa says that the entire material world is maintained by His partial representation as Paramātmā.
  • Thus within every atom the Supreme Lord exists in His Viṣṇu feature as Paramātmā, but all the viṣṇu-tattvas emanate from Kṛṣṇa.
  • Only Kṛṣṇa can deliver us from this material existence.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 3

The purport of SB 8.3.17 quotesBG 10.42

This all-pervading feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is explained in Bhagavad-gītā (10.42), wherein the Lord says: “But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge?

The purport of SB 8.3.17 quotesBG 10.2

As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (10.2), aham ādir hi devānām: Kṛṣṇa is the ādi, or beginning, of the devas of this material world — Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara.

The purport of SB 8.3.17 quotesSB 10.84.13

“A human being who identifies the body made of three elements as the self, who considers the by-products of the body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of his birth to be worshipable, and who goes to a place of pilgrimage simply to bathe rather than to meet men of transcendental knowledge there is to be considered like…

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Helplessness → Surrender and rescue. A mighty animal finally realizes the limits of strength.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 8: Gajendra's struggle and prayers. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 3: Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

“The self-effulgent material form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is adored by nondevotees, His impersonal form is adored by those advanced in spiritual knowledge, and His feature as the localized Supersoul is appreciated by yogīs. But His original form as a person is understood only by devotees.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.3
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. mādṛklike me
  2. prapannasurrendered
  3. paśuan animal
  4. pāśafrom entanglement
  5. vimokṣaṇāyaunto Him who releases
  6. muktāyaunto the Supreme, who is untouched by the contamination of material nature
  7. bhūri-karuṇāyawho are unlimitedly merciful
  8. namaḥI offer my respectful obeisances
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 8.3

    In this verse: “merciful”, “mercy”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 8.3

    In this verse: “surrendered”, “surrender”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 8.3

    In this verse: “dangerous”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that Kṛṣṇa is already attentive to my deliverance affect my willingness to surrender?

Practice

Offer a short prayer of surrender to Kṛṣṇa, thanking Him for His constant mercy.

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.

The purport quotesSB 10.84.13

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.3's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Never Neglects Our DeliveranceThis 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 8.3.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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