1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 14: King Purūravā Enchanted by Urvaśī
9.14.279.14.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.14.28

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.14.24inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

निशम्याक्रन्दितं देवी पुत्रयोर्नीयमानयो: ।

हतास्म्यहं कुनाथेन नपुंसा वीरमानिना ॥ २८ ॥

niśamyākranditaṁ devī

putrayor nīyamānayoḥ

hatāsmy ahaṁ kunāthena

napuṁsā vīra-māninā

Translation

Urvaśī treated the two lambs like her own sons. Therefore, when they were being taken by the Gandharvas and began crying, Urvaśī heard them and rebuked her husband. “Now I am being killed,” she said, “under the protection of an unworthy husband, who is a coward and a eunuch although he thinks himself a great hero.”

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.

Affection and Distress Over the Lambs

  1. 1

    Urvaśī treated the two lambs like her own sons.

  2. 2

    When the Gandharvas carried them away, the lambs cried, and Urvaśī heard them.

  3. 3

    In her distress, she rebuked her husband as an unworthy protector. She called him a coward although he considered himself a great hero.

How it feels

Longing and conflict → Detachment and justice. Dynastic episodes explore personal desire and force.

Chapters 13–17 of Canto 9: Nimi, Purūravā and Paraśurāma. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 14: King Purūravā Enchanted by Urvaśī

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

A great fight ensued between the demigods and the asuras, but Brahmā rescued Bṛhaspati’s wife from the clutches of Soma and returned her to her husband, thus stopping the fighting. In the womb of Tārā, Soma begot a son named Budha, who later begot in the womb of Ilā a son named Aila, or Purūravā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. niśamyaby hearing
  2. ākranditamcrying (because of being stolen)
  3. devīUrvaśī
  4. putrayoḥof those two lambs, which she treated as sons
  5. nīyamānayoḥas they were being taken away
  6. hatākilled
  7. asmiam
  8. ahamI
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

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 9.14

    In this verse: “protection”, “protector”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 9.14

    In this verse: “crying”, “cried”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 9.14

    In this verse: “heard”

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 do I speak when I fear for someone in my care?

Practice

If you feel distressed today, pause before turning that distress into a harsh accusation.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAffection and Distress Over the LambsThis 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 9.14.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories