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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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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 15: Paraśurāma, the Lord’s Warrior Incarnation
9.15.99.15.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.15.10

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.15.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तद् विदित्वा मुनि: प्राह पत्नीं कष्टमकारषी: ।

घोरो दण्डधर: पुत्रो भ्राता ते ब्रह्मवित्तम: ॥ १० ॥

tad viditvā muniḥ prāha

patnīṁ kaṣṭam akāraṣīḥ

ghoro daṇḍa-dharaḥ putro

bhrātā te brahma-vittamaḥ

Translation

When the great sage Ṛcīka returned home after bathing and understood what had happened in his absence, he said to his wife, Satyavatī, “You have done a great wrong. Your son will be a fierce kṣatriya, able to punish everyone, and your brother will be a learned scholar in spiritual science.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Qualities and Actions, Not Birth

  1. 1

    Ṛcīka told Satyavatī that exchanging the oblations was a great wrong. Her son would be a fierce kṣatriya, while her brother would be a learned scholar in spiritual science.

  2. 2

    A qualified brāhmaṇa controls the senses and mind, knows spiritual science, and is tolerant and forgiving. A qualified kṣatriya is fierce in punishing wrongdoers.

  3. 3

    The basic principle for dividing society is a person’s qualities and actions, not birth. Even a brāhmaṇa’s son is designated according to his actual qualifications.

Key points from the purport
  • A brāhmaṇa is highly qualified when he can control his senses and mind, when he is a learned scholar in spiritual science and when he is tolerant and forgiving.
  • A kṣatriya, however, is highly qualified when he is fierce in giving punishment to wrongdoers.
  • The son of a brāhmaṇa is generally expected to become a brāhmaṇa, but if such a son becomes fierce like a kṣatriya, he is designated according to the description of the four varṇas in Bhagavad-gītā (cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ).

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 9.15.10 quotesBG 18.42

These qualities are stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.42-43).

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 15: Paraśurāma, the Lord’s Warrior Incarnation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Satyavatī married Ṛcīka Muni after the muni contributed a substantial dowry, and from the womb of Satyavatī by Ṛcīka Muni, Jamadagni was born. The son of Jamadagni was Rāma, or Paraśurāma.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tatthis fact
  2. viditvāhaving learned
  3. muniḥthe great sage
  4. prāhasaid
  5. patnīmunto his wife
  6. kaṣṭamvery regrettable
  7. akāraṣīḥyou have done
  8. ghoraḥfierce
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

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 9.15

    In this verse: “absence”

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

Do I give more weight to a person’s birth or to their qualities and actions?

Practice

In one difficult interaction today, practice tolerance by pausing before replying.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayQualities and Actions, Not BirthThis 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 9.15.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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