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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 6: The Demigods and Demons Declare a Truce
8.6.128.6.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.6.13

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 8.6.8inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तं त्वां वयं नाथ समुज्जिहानं

सरोजनाभातिचिरेप्सितार्थम् ।

द‍ृष्ट्वा गता निर्वृतमद्य सर्वे

गजा दवार्ता इव गाङ्गमम्भ: ॥ १३ ॥

taṁ tvāṁ vayaṁ nātha samujjihānaṁ

saroja-nābhāticirepsitārtham

dṛṣṭvā gatā nirvṛtam adya sarve

gajā davārtā iva gāṅgam ambhaḥ

Translation

Elephants afflicted by a forest fire become very happy when they get water from the Ganges. Similarly, O my Lord, from whose navel grows a lotus flower, since You have now appeared before us, we have become transcendentally happy. By seeing Your Lordship, whom we have desired to see for a very long time, we have achieved our ultimate goal in life.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Long To See The Lord Without Demanding

  1. 1

    A pure devotee is always eager to see the Supreme Lord face to face but never demands that He appear. Even prolonged disappointment does not change this attitude.

  2. 2

    When the Lord appears by His own pleasure, the devotee feels deeply satisfied. On seeing Him, Dhruva Mahārāja no longer wanted to ask for any benediction.

  3. 3

    Whether able or unable to see the Lord, a pure devotee continues devotional service. The devotee always hopes that the Lord may someday be pleased to appear.

Key points from the purport
  • The devotees of the Lord are always very eager to see the Supreme Lord face to face, but they do not demand that the Lord come before them, for a pure devotee considers such a demand to be contrary to devotional service.
  • If the Lord, by His own pleasure, appears before the devotee, the devotee feels extremely happy, as Dhruva Mahārāja felt when he personally saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • A pure devotee, whether able or unable to see the Lord, always engages in the Lord’s devotional service, always hoping that at some time the Lord may be pleased to appear before him so that he can see the Lord face to face.

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

Danger and ambition → Divine rescue and surprise. Cooperation, rivalry and revelation alternate rapidly.

Chapters 5–12 of Canto 8: Churning the ocean, poison and nectar. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 6: The Demigods and Demons Declare a Truce

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After some time, however, when Brahmā could see the Lord, he, along with Lord Śiva, began to offer the Lord prayers. Lord Brahmā said: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being beyond birth and death, is eternal.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.6
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tamO Lord
  2. tvāmYour Lordship
  3. vayamall of us
  4. nāthaO master
  5. samujjihānamnow appearing before us with all glories
  6. saroja-nābhaO Lord, whose navel resembles a lotus flower, or from whose navel grows a lotus flower
  7. ati-cirafor an extremely long time
  8. īpsitadesiring
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.6

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”

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

Can you continue serving the Lord without demanding a particular experience or reward?

Practice

Make a short prayer expressing your desire to serve the Lord without demanding that He appear.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.6's connections

Live this todayLong To See The Lord Without DemandingThis 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 8.6.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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