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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

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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 9: The Lord Incarnates as Mohinī-Mūrti

8.9.16-17 8.9.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.9.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.9.11inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तां श्रीसखीं कनककुण्डलचारुकर्ण-

नासाकपोलवदनां परदेवताख्याम् ।

संवीक्ष्य सम्मुमुहुरुत्स्मितवीक्षणेन

देवासुरा विगलितस्तनपट्टिकान्ताम् ॥ १८ ॥

tāṁ śrī-sakhīṁ kanaka-kuṇḍala-cāru-karṇa-

nāsā-kapola-vadanāṁ para-devatākhyām

saṁvīkṣya sammumuhur utsmita-vīkṣaṇena

devāsurā vigalita-stana-paṭṭikāntām

Translation

Her attractive nose and cheeks and Her ears, adorned with golden earrings, made Her face very beautiful. As She moved, Her sari’s border on Her breasts moved slightly aside. When the demigods and demons saw these beautiful features of Mohinī-mūrti, who was glancing at them and slightly smiling, they were all completely enchanted.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Surpasses All in Beauty

1
Mohinī-mūrti’s beautiful features, slight smile and glances completely enchanted both the demigods and demons.
2
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that Mohinī-mūrti is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in a feminine form. The goddess of fortune is Her associate.
3
When the Lord assumes a female form, His beauty surpasses even that of the goddess of fortune.

Key points from the purport

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura remarks here that Mohinī-mūrti is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in a feminine form and that the goddess of fortune is Her associate.
The Lord is so beautiful that He can excel any beautiful goddess of fortune by assuming a female form.

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

Chapter 9: The Lord Incarnates as Mohinī-Mūrti

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When the demons saw this cheating of Mohinī-mūrti, they remained silent. But one demon, named Rāhu, dressed himself like a demigod and sat down in the line of the demigods.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.9