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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 18: King Yayāti Regains His Youth
9.18.389.18.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.18.39

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.18.23inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मातामहकृतां वत्स न तृप्तो विषयेष्वहम् ।

वयसा भवदीयेन रंस्ये कतिपया: समा: ॥ ३९ ॥

mātāmaha-kṛtāṁ vatsa

na tṛpto viṣayeṣv aham

vayasā bhavadīyena

raṁsye katipayāḥ samāḥ

Translation

My dear son, I am not yet satisfied in my sexual desires. But if you are kind to me, you can take the old age given by your maternal grandfather, and I may take your youth so that I may enjoy life for a few years more.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Frees Us from Lust

  1. 1

    Excessive attachment to sense gratification makes one lose good sense. Yayāti’s shameless request for his son’s youth illustrates this.

  2. 2

    Sexual desire can be fully overcome only when one is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. Transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa brings ever-new pleasure.

  3. 3

    Attachment to sexual enjoyment keeps one moving from body to body. The forms change, but the same enjoyment is repeatedly sought, like “chewing the chewed.”

Key points from the purport
  • In Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) it is said, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ: when one is too attached to sense gratification, he actually loses his sense.
  • Sex and sense gratification can be controlled, however, and one achieves perfection when he has no desires for sex.
  • As long as one has desires for sex, one must change his body and transmigrate from one body to another to enjoy sex in different species or forms.

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 9.18.39 quotesBG 7.20

In Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) it is said, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ: when one is too attached to sense gratification, he actually loses his sense.

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

Insatiable desire → Renunciation. Exhausted enjoyment generates insight.

Chapters 18–19 of Canto 9: Yayāti's craving and liberation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 18: King Yayāti Regains His Youth

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Śukrācārya again became angry and cursed Mahārāja Yayāti to become old, but when Yayāti begged Śukrācārya to be merciful to him, Śukrācārya gave him the benediction that he could transfer his old age and invalidity to some young man. Yayāti exchanged his old age for the youth of his youngest son, Pūru, and thus he was able to enjoy with young girls.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. mātāmaha-kṛtāmgiven by your maternal grandfather, Śukrācārya
  2. vatsamy dear son
  3. nanot
  4. tṛptaḥsatisfied
  5. viṣayeṣuin sex life, sense gratification
  6. ahamI (am)
  7. vayasāby age
  8. bhavadīyenaof your good self
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 9.18

    In this verse: “attachment”, “sense gratification”

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

Where am I seeking repeated enjoyment rather than pleasure in loving service to Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today for loving service to Kṛṣṇa instead of pursuing one habitual sense pleasure.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Consciousness Frees Us from LustThis 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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