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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 16: Lord Paraśurāma Destroys the World’s Ruling Class
9.16.269.16.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.16.27

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.16.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एवं भृगुषु विश्वात्मा भगवान् हरिरीश्वर: ।

अवतीर्य परं भारं भुवोऽहन् बहुशो नृपान् ॥ २७ ॥

evaṁ bhṛguṣu viśvātmā

bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ

avatīrya paraṁ bhāraṁ

bhuvo ’han bahuśo nṛpān

Translation

In this way the supreme soul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord and the supreme controller, descended as an incarnation in the Bhṛgu dynasty and released the universe from the burden of undesirable kings by killing them many times.

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.

The Supreme Lord Relieves the Universe’s Burden

  1. 1

    The verse identifies the Lord as the supreme soul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the supreme controller.

  2. 2

    He descended as an incarnation in the Bhṛgu dynasty.

  3. 3

    By repeatedly killing undesirable kings, He released the universe from their burden.

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 16: Lord Paraśurāma Destroys the World’s Ruling Class

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The sons of Kārtavīryārjuna, however, remembering the death of their father, wanted to take revenge against Lord Paraśurāma, and therefore when Paraśurāma was absent from the āśrama, they killed Jamadagni, who was meditating on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evamin this way
  2. bhṛguṣuin the dynasty of Bhṛgu
  3. viśva-ātmāthe soul of the universe, the Supersoul
  4. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. hariḥthe Lord
  6. īśvaraḥthe supreme controller
  7. avatīryaappearing as an incarnation
  8. paramgreat
3

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 9.16

    In this verse: “kings”

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 this verse help me recognize the Lord’s supreme position?

Practice

Read the verse and pause to remember the Lord as the supreme controller.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 9.16's connections

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Relieves the Universe’s BurdenThis 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 9.16.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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