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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 ›
Canto 9 · Chapter 11: Lord Rāmacandra Rules the World
9.11.13-149.11.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.11.15

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.11.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मुनौ निक्षिप्य तनयौ सीता भर्त्रा विवासिता ।

ध्यायन्ती रामचरणौ विवरं प्रविवेश ह ॥ १५ ॥

munau nikṣipya tanayau

sītā bhartrā vivāsitā

dhyāyantī rāma-caraṇau

vivaraṁ praviveśa ha

Translation

Being forsaken by her husband, Sītādevī entrusted her two sons to the care of Vālmīki Muni. Then, meditating upon the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra, she entered into the earth.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sītādevī Meditates on the Lord in Separation

  1. 1

    After being forsaken by her husband, Sītādevī entrusted her two sons to Vālmīki Muni’s care.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that it was impossible for her to live in separation from Lord Rāmacandra.

  3. 3

    Meditating upon Lord Rāmacandra’s lotus feet, she entered into the earth.

Key points from the purport
  • It was impossible for Sītādevī to live in separation from Lord Rāmacandra.
  • Therefore, after entrusting her two sons to the care of Vālmīki Muni, she entered into the earth.

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

Exile and separation → Loyalty and reunion. Duty, loss and sacrifice shape the dramatic center of this canto.

Chapters 10–12 of Canto 9: The pastimes of Lord Rāmacandra. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 11: Lord Rāmacandra Rules the World

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Meanwhile, Sītādevī placed her two sons in the care of Vālmīki Muni and then entered into the earth. Upon hearing of this, Lord Rāmacandra was very much aggrieved, and thus He performed sacrifices for thirteen thousand years.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. munauunto the great sage Vālmīki
  2. nikṣipyagiving in charge
  3. tanayauthe two sons Lava and Kuśa
  4. sītāmother Sītādevī
  5. bhartrāby her husband
  6. vivāsitābanished
  7. dhyāyantīmeditating upon
  8. rāma-caraṇauthe lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 9.11

    In this verse: “separation”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does Sītādevī’s meditation reveal her attachment to Lord Rāmacandra?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute remembering Lord Rāmacandra’s lotus feet.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySītādevī Meditates on the Lord in SeparationThis 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 9.11.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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