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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.
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Canto 9 · Chapter 16: Lord Paraśurāma Destroys the World’s Ruling Class
9.16.369.17.1-3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.16.37

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.16.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एवं कौशिकगोत्रं तु विश्वामित्रै: पृथग्विधम् ।

प्रवरान्तरमापन्नं तद्धि चैवं प्रकल्पितम् ॥ ३७ ॥

evaṁ kauśika-gotraṁ tu

viśvāmitraiḥ pṛthag-vidham

pravarāntaram āpannaṁ

tad dhi caivaṁ prakalpitam

Translation

Viśvāmitra cursed some of his sons and blessed the others, and he also adopted a son. Thus there were varieties in the Kauśika dynasty, but among all the sons, Devarāta was considered the eldest.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Variety Within the Kauśika Dynasty

  1. 1

    Viśvāmitra cursed some of his sons and blessed others.

  2. 2

    He also adopted a son. These different circumstances brought variety within the Kauśika dynasty.

  3. 3

    Among all the sons, Devarāta was considered the eldest.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Ninth Canto, Sixteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Lord Paraśurāma Destroys the World’s Ruling Class.”

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 16: Lord Paraśurāma Destroys the World’s Ruling Class

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Viśvāmitra’s fifty-first son, along with his younger brothers, then accepted Śunaḥśepha as their eldest brother, and their father, Viśvāmitra, being satisfied, blessed them. Thus Devarāta was accepted in the dynasty of Kauśika, and consequently there are different divisions of that dynasty.
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 (some sons having been cursed and some blessed)
  2. kauśika-gotramthe dynasty of Kauśika
  3. tuindeed
  4. viśvāmitraiḥby the sons of Viśvāmitra
  5. pṛthak-vidhamin different varieties
  6. pravara-antaramdifferences between one another
  7. āpannamobtained
  8. tatthat
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 9.16

    In this verse: “blessed”

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

What does Devarāta’s recognized position help me notice about belonging in this family?

Practice

Write one sentence summarizing how adoption and recognition shaped Devarāta’s place in the Kauśika dynasty.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVariety Within the Kauśika DynastyThis 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.

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