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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.1.26

Who is speaking and story frame

तस्मिन् प्रविष्ट एवासौ सुद्युम्न: परवीरहा ।

अपश्यत् स्रियमात्मानमश्वं च वडवां नृप ॥ २६ ॥

tasmin praviṣṭa evāsau

sudyumnaḥ para-vīra-hā

apaśyat striyam ātmānam

aśvaṁ ca vaḍavāṁ nṛpa

Translation

O King Parīkṣit, as soon as Sudyumna, who was expert in subduing enemies, entered the forest, he saw himself transformed into a female and his horse transformed into a mare.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Strength Does Not Prevent Sudyumna’s Transformation

  1. 1

    Sudyumna was expert in subduing enemies.

  2. 2

    Yet as soon as he entered the forest, he saw himself transformed into a female.

  3. 3

    His horse was also transformed, becoming a mare.

How it feels

Change → Acceptance. The instability of worldly identities is a recurring premise.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 9: Dynastic origins and domestic transformations. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: King Sudyumna Becomes a Woman

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

At the foot of the mountain Sumeru there is a forest named Sukumāra, and as soon as they entered that forest, they were all transformed into women. When Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the reason for this transformation, Śukadeva Gosvāmī described how Sudyumna, being transformed into a woman, accepted Budha, the son of the moon, as her husband and had a son named Purūravā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasminin that forest
  2. praviṣṭaḥhaving entered
  3. evaindeed
  4. asauhe
  5. sudyumnaḥPrince Sudyumna
  6. para-vīra-hāwho could very well subdue his enemies
  7. apaśyatobserved
  8. striyamfemale
3

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 9.1

    In this verse: “king”

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

What strikes you about a powerful person undergoing such an unexpected change?

Practice

Pause today to reflect on the contrast between Sudyumna’s strength and his unexpected transformation.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayStrength Does Not Prevent Sudyumna’s TransformationThis 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 9.1.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.