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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 15: Paraśurāma, the Lord’s Warrior Incarnation
9.15.49.15.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 9.15.5-6

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

तस्य सत्यवतीं कन्यामृचीकोऽयाचत द्विज: ।

वरं विसद‍ृशं मत्वा गाधिर्भार्गवमब्रवीत् ॥ ५ ॥

एकत: श्यामकर्णानां हयानां चन्द्रवर्चसाम् ।

सहस्रं दीयतां शुल्कं कन्याया: कुशिका वयम् ॥ ६ ॥

tasya satyavatīṁ kanyām

ṛcīko ’yācata dvijaḥ

varaṁ visadṛśaṁ matvā

gādhir bhārgavam abravīt

ekataḥ śyāma-karṇānāṁ

hayānāṁ candra-varcasām

sahasraṁ dīyatāṁ śulkaṁ

kanyāyāḥ kuśikā vayam

Translation

King Gādhi had a daughter named Satyavatī, whom a brāhmaṇa sage named Ṛcīka requested from the King to be his wife. King Gādhi, however, regarded Ṛcīka as an unfit husband for his daughter, and therefore he told the brāhmaṇa, “My dear sir, I belong to the dynasty of Kuśa. Because we are aristocratic kṣatriyas, you have to give some dowry for my daughter. Therefore, bring at least one thousand horses, each as brilliant as moonshine and each having one black ear, whether right or left.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Gādhi Sets an Uncommon Marriage Condition

  1. 1

    The brāhmaṇa sage Ṛcīka requested King Gādhi’s daughter Satyavatī as his wife. Gādhi regarded him as an unfit husband and demanded one thousand moonshine-brilliant horses, each with one black ear.

  2. 2

    Gādhi’s son Viśvāmitra was said to be a brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya combined. He attained the status of a brahmarṣi.

  3. 3

    The purport states that from Satyavatī’s marriage with Ṛcīka Muni would come a son with the spirit of a kṣatriya. Gādhi required an uncommon request to be fulfilled before the marriage.

Key points from the purport
  • The son of King Gādhi was Viśvāmitra, who was said to be a brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya combined.
  • From the marriage of Satyavatī with Ṛcīka Muni would come a son with the spirit of a kṣatriya.
  • King Gādhi demanded that an uncommon request be fulfilled before the brāhmaṇa Ṛcīka could marry his daughter.

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

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:

From Kuśāmbu came Gādhi, who had a daughter named Satyavatī. Satyavatī married Ṛcīka Muni after the muni contributed a substantial dowry, and from the womb of Satyavatī by Ṛcīka Muni, Jamadagni was born.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.15
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasyaof Gādhi
  2. satyavatīmSatyavatī
  3. kanyāmthe daughter
  4. ṛcīkaḥthe great sage Ṛcīka
  5. ayācatarequested
  6. dvijaḥthe brāhmaṇa
  7. varamas her husband
  8. visadṛśamnot equal or fit
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 9.15

    In this verse: “king”

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 did Gādhi’s judgment of Ṛcīka shape his marriage condition?

Practice

Write one sentence distinguishing Gādhi’s judgment of Ṛcīka from the condition he demanded.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayGādhi Sets an Uncommon Marriage ConditionThis 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 9.15.5-6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.