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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
9.16.279.16.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.16.28

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

गाधेरभून्महातेजा: समिद्ध इव पावक: ।

तपसा क्षात्रमुत्सृज्य यो लेभे ब्रह्मवर्चसम् ॥ २८ ॥

gādher abhūn mahā-tejāḥ

samiddha iva pāvakaḥ

tapasā kṣātram utsṛjya

yo lebhe brahma-varcasam

Translation

Viśvāmitra, the son of Mahārāja Gādhi, was as powerful as the flames of fire. From the position of a kṣatriya, he achieved the position of a powerful brāhmaṇa by undergoing penances and austerities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Qualities and Work Determine One’s Position

  1. 1

    Viśvāmitra was born in a kṣatriya family, but through austerities and penances he achieved the position of a powerful brāhmaṇa.

  2. 2

    Paraśurāma belonged to the brahminical group but circumstantially worked as a kṣatriya. After completing that work, He returned to life as a brāhmaṇa.

  3. 3

    One’s status depends on qualities and work, not birth alone. Assigning positions without the required qualifications disrupts social order.

Key points from the purport
  • Later, after finishing his work as a kṣatriya, he again became a brāhmaṇa and returned to Mahendra-parvata.
  • Similarly, we can see that although Viśvāmitra was born in a kṣatriya family, by austerities and penances he achieved the position of a brāhmaṇa.
  • To know who is a brāhmaṇa and who is a kṣatriya, one must consider a man’s quality and work.

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 9.16.28 quotesSB 7.11.35

As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.11.35) by Nārada: “If one shows the symptoms of being a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra, even if he has appeared in a different class, he should be accepted according to those symptoms of classification.”

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 16: Lord Paraśurāma Destroys the World’s Ruling Class

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In the dynasty of Gādhi, the most powerful Viśvāmitra took birth. By dint of his austerity and penance, he became a brāhmaṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gādheḥfrom Mahārāja Gādhi
  2. abhūtwas born
  3. mahā-tejāḥvery powerful
  4. samiddhaḥinflamed
  5. ivalike
  6. pāvakaḥfire
  7. tapasāby austerities and penances
  8. kṣātramthe position of a kṣatriya
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

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 judge people by their birth, or by their actual qualities and work?

Practice

Notice one person’s demonstrated qualities today without relying on their family background or social label.

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 7.11.35

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

Live this todayQualities and Work Determine One’s PositionThis 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 9.16.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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