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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 15: Paraśurāma, the Lord’s Warrior Incarnation

9.15.15 9.15.17-19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.15.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 9.15.16inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीराजोवाच

किं तदंहो भगवतो राजन्यैरजितात्मभि: ।

कृतं येन कुलं नष्टं क्षत्रियाणामभीक्ष्णश: ॥ १६ ॥

śrī-rājovāca

kiṁ tad aṁho bhagavato

rājanyair ajitātmabhiḥ

kṛtaṁ yena kulaṁ naṣṭaṁ

kṣatriyāṇām abhīkṣṇaśaḥ

Translation

King Parīkṣit inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī: What was the offense that the kṣatriyas who could not control their senses committed before Lord Paraśurāma, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for which the Lord annihilated the kṣatriya dynasty again and again?

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.

Inquire About the Lord’s Actions

1
King Parīkṣit asks Śukadeva Gosvāmī what offense the kṣatriyas had committed.
2
His question describes these rulers as unable to control their senses.
3
Parīkṣit recognizes Paraśurāma as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He asks why the Lord repeatedly annihilated the kṣatriya dynasty.

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

Chapter 15: Paraśurāma, the Lord’s Warrior Incarnation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When a king named Kārtavīryārjuna stole Jamadagni’s desire cow, Paraśurāma, who is ascertained by learned experts to be a saktyāveśa incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, killed Kārtavīryārjuna. Later, he annihilated the kṣatriya dynasty twenty-one times.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 9.15

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

śrī-rājā uvācaMahārāja Parīkṣit inquired
kimwhat
tat aṁhaḥthat offense
bhagavataḥunto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
rājanyaiḥby the royal family
ajita-ātmabhiḥwho could not control their senses and thus were degraded
kṛtamwhich had been done
yenaby which

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
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 9.15
In this verse: “king”, “rulers”
Dainya · Humility
Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 9.15
In this verse: “offense”
Jñāna · Spiritual insight
Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 9.15
In this verse: “inquired”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I encounter a difficult action of the Lord, do I seek understanding through thoughtful inquiry?

Practice

Write down one sincere question you have about this translation.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayInquire About the Lord’s ActionsThis 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 9.15.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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