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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 9.1.34

Who is speaking and story frame

अथ तामाश्रमाभ्याशे चरन्तीं प्रमदोत्तमाम् ।

स्रीभि: परिवृतां वीक्ष्य चकमे भगवान् बुध: ॥ ३४ ॥

atha tām āśramābhyāśe

carantīṁ pramadottamām

strībhiḥ parivṛtāṁ vīkṣya

cakame bhagavān budhaḥ

Translation

Sudyumna had been transformed into the best of beautiful women who excite sexual desire and was surrounded by other women. Upon seeing this beautiful woman loitering near his āśrama, Budha, the son of the moon, immediately desired to enjoy her.

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.

Beauty Awakens Budha’s Desire

  1. 1

    Sudyumna had become an exceptionally beautiful woman who excited sexual desire.

  2. 2

    Surrounded by other women, Sudyumna was walking near Budha’s āśrama.

  3. 3

    Budha, the son of the moon, saw this beautiful woman and immediately desired to enjoy her.

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:

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. By the grace of Lord Śiva, Sudyumna received the benediction that he would live one month as a woman and one month as a man.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athain this way
  2. tāmher
  3. āśrama-abhyāśein the neighborhood of his āśrama
  4. carantīmloitering
  5. pramadā-uttamāmthe best of beautiful women who excite sex
  6. strībhiḥby other women
  7. parivṛtāmsurrounded
  8. vīkṣyaseeing her
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 9.1

    In this verse: “āśrama”

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 Budha’s immediate response show about how quickly seeing beauty can awaken desire?

Practice

Notice one moment today when something you see awakens desire, and pause to recognize that response.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBeauty Awakens Budha’s DesireThis 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 9.1.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.