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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 9.1.27

Who is speaking and story frame

तथा तदनुगा: सर्वे आत्मलिङ्गविपर्ययम् ।

दृष्ट्वा विमनसोऽभूवन् वीक्षमाणा: परस्परम् ॥ २७ ॥

tathā tad-anugāḥ sarve

ātma-liṅga-viparyayam

dṛṣṭvā vimanaso ’bhūvan

vīkṣamāṇāḥ parasparam

Translation

When his followers also saw their identities transformed and their sex reversed, they were all very morose and just looked at one another.

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.

The Followers Share Sudyumna’s Distress

  1. 1

    Sudyumna’s followers also saw that their sex had been reversed.

  2. 2

    Seeing this transformation, all of them became very morose.

  3. 3

    They simply looked at one another in their distress.

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:

Consequently, for Manu’s satisfaction, the great sage Vasiṣṭha prayed for Ilā to be transformed into a boy, and his prayer was fulfilled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus Ilā became a beautiful young man named Sudyumna.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathāsimilarly
  2. tat-anugāḥthe companions of Sudyumna
  3. sarveall of them
  4. ātma-liṅga-viparyayamthe transformation of their sex into the opposite
  5. dṛṣṭvāseeing
  6. vimanasaḥmorose
  7. abhūvanthey became
  8. vīkṣamāṇāḥlooking over
  9. parasparamone another
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 9.1

    In this verse: “distress”

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 does the followers’ silent reaction help you understand about their distress?

Practice

Reread the verse and take a moment to consider the followers’ feelings without judging them.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Followers Share Sudyumna’s DistressThis 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 9.1.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.