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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

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 11: Lord Rāmacandra Rules the World

9.11.7 9.11.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.11.8

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.11.8inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कदाचिल्लोकजिज्ञासुर्गूढो रात्र्यामलक्षित: ।

चरन्वाचोऽश‍ृणोद् रामो भार्यामुद्दिश्य कस्यचित् ॥ ८ ॥

kadācil loka-jijñāsur

gūḍho rātryām alakṣitaḥ

caran vāco ’śṛṇod rāmo

bhāryām uddiśya kasyacit

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Once while Lord Rāmacandra was walking at night incognito, hiding Himself by a disguise to find out the people’s opinion of Himself, He heard a man speaking unfavorably about His wife, Sītādevī.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Lord Rāmacandra Hears the People’s Opinion

1
Lord Rāmacandra went out walking at night to learn the people’s opinion of Him.
2
He concealed His identity by wearing a disguise.
3
During this walk, He heard a man speaking unfavorably about His wife, Sītādevī.

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

Chapter 11: Lord Rāmacandra Rules the World

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

By chance, one night He heard a man talking to his wife, who had gone to another man’s house. In the course of rebuking his wife, the man spoke suspiciously of the character of Sītādevī.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 9.11

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

kadācitonce upon a time
loka-jijñāsuḥdesiring to know about the public
gūḍhaḥhiding Himself by a disguise
rātryāmat night
alakṣitaḥwithout being identified by anyone else
caranwalking
vācaḥspeaking
aśṛṇotheard

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
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 9.11
In this verse: “heard”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I willing to listen when others express opinions I may find difficult to hear?

Practice

Listen carefully to someone’s opinion today without immediately interrupting.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLord Rāmacandra Hears the People’s OpinionThis 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 9.11.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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