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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
  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
9.14.29.14.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.14.3

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.14.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तस्य द‍ृग्भ्योऽभवत् पुत्र: सोमोऽमृतमय: किल ।

विप्रौषध्युडुगणानां ब्रह्मणा कल्पित: पति: ॥ ३ ॥

tasya dṛgbhyo ’bhavat putraḥ

somo ’mṛtamayaḥ kila

viprauṣadhy-uḍu-gaṇānāṁ

brahmaṇā kalpitaḥ patiḥ

Translation

From Atri’s tears of jubilation was born a son named Soma, the moon, who was full of soothing rays. Lord Brahmā appointed him the director of the brāhmaṇas, drugs and luminaries.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Understand Soma’s Birth in Its Context

  1. 1

    Soma was born from Atri’s tears of jubilation and was full of soothing rays. Lord Brahmā appointed him director of the brāhmaṇas, drugs and luminaries.

  2. 2

    The Vedic description says that the moon-god was born from the mind of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The account of his birth from Atri’s tears is not contradictory, because it concerns another millennium.

  3. 3

    Tears arising from jubilation are soothing, explaining why Soma is described as full of soothing rays. The purport also explains that Anasūyā was impregnated by Atri’s tears.

Key points from the purport
  • But here we find that Soma was born from the tears in the eyes of Atri.
  • When tears appear in the eyes because of jubilation, the tears are soothing.
  • Therefore the moon-god is called amṛtamayaḥ, ‘full of soothing rays.’”

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 9.14.3 quotesSB 4.1.15

In the Fourth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.1.15) we find this verse: This verse describes that Anasūyā, the wife of Atri Ṛṣi, bore three sons — Soma, Durvāsā and Dattātreya.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

Brahmā had a son named Atri, and Atri’s son was Soma, the king of all drugs and stars. Soma became the conqueror of the entire universe, and, being inflated with pride, he kidnapped Tārā, who was the wife of Bṛhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasyaof him, Atri, the son of Brahmā
  2. dṛgbhyaḥfrom the tears of jubilation from the eyes
  3. abhavatwas born
  4. putraḥa son
  5. somaḥthe moon-god
  6. amṛta-mayaḥfull of soothing rays
  7. kilaindeed
  8. vipraof the brāhmaṇas
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 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 the explanation about different millenniums help me approach an apparent contradiction?

Practice

Write one sentence explaining why the two accounts of Soma’s birth do not contradict each other.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 4.1.15

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 9.14's connections

Live this todayUnderstand Soma’s Birth in Its ContextThis 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 9.14.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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