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Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 chapters

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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 9 · Chapter 1: King Sudyumna Becomes a Woman

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.1.30

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.1.29inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तान् विलोक्याम्बिका देवी विवासा व्रीडिता भृशम् ।

भर्तुरङ्कात् समुत्थाय नीवीमाश्वथ पर्यधात् ॥ ३० ॥

tān vilokyāmbikā devī

vivāsā vrīḍitā bhṛśam

bhartur aṅkāt samutthāya

nīvīm āśv atha paryadhāt

Translation

When the goddess Ambikā saw the great saintly persons, she was very much ashamed because at that time she was naked. She immediately got up from the lap of her husband and tried to cover her breast.

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.

Ambikā Responds to an Unexpected Visit

1
The goddess Ambikā saw the great saintly persons while she was naked.
2
She felt very much ashamed and immediately rose from her husband’s lap.
3
She tried to cover her breast.

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:

Once upon a time, Sudyumna went on tour with his ministers. 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.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 9.1

2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tānall the saintly persons
vilokyaseeing them
ambikāmother Durgā
devīthe goddess
vivāsābecause she was naked
vrīḍitāashamed
bhṛśamhighly
bhartuḥof her husband

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

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

How does Ambikā’s response remind you to be sensitive to another person’s privacy?

Practice

Before entering someone’s private space today, ask permission.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAmbikā Responds to an Unexpected VisitThis 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 9.1.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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