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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 19: King Yayāti Achieves Liberation
9.19.129.19.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.19.13

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.19.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit
A turning point forKing Yayāti· Pleasure continues

यत् पृथिव्यां व्रीहियवं हिरण्यं पशव: स्त्रिय: ।

न दुह्यन्ति मन:प्रीतिं पुंस: कामहतस्य ते ॥ १३ ॥

yat pṛthivyāṁ vrīhi-yavaṁ

hiraṇyaṁ paśavaḥ striyaḥ

na duhyanti manaḥ-prītiṁ

puṁsaḥ kāma-hatasya te

Translation

A person who is lusty cannot satisfy his mind even if he has enough of everything in this world, including rice, barley and other food grains, gold, animals and women. Nothing can satisfy him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Wealth Cannot Satisfy Lusty Desires

  1. 1

    Even all the material wealth of the world cannot satisfy someone who cannot control lusty desires.

  2. 2

    Although every living entity is part of the Supreme Being, lusty desires keep one struggling for greater material prosperity.

  3. 3

    The purport calls lusty desire a heart disease. Only by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious can one give it up and find peace of mind.

Key points from the purport
  • Improvement of one’s economic condition is the aim and object of a materialist, but there is no end to this material advancement, for if one cannot control his lusty desires, he will never be pleased, even if he gets all the material wealth of the world.
  • Although every living entity is a part of the Supreme Being, because of lusty desires one continuously struggles for so-called betterment of one’s economic condition.
  • If one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he can give up this heart disease; otherwise this disease of lusty desires will continue, and one cannot have peace in his mind.

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 9.19.13 quotesSB 10.33.39

hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ. If one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he can give up this heart disease; otherwise this disease of lusty desires will continue, and one cannot have peace in his mind.

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 19: King Yayāti Achieves Liberation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

If one is lusty and greedy, even the total stock of gold in this world cannot satisfy one’s lusty desires. These desires are like a fire.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.19
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatwhat
  2. pṛthivyāmwithin this world
  3. vrīhifood grains, rice
  4. yavambarley
  5. hiraṇyamgold
  6. paśavaḥanimals
  7. striyaḥwives or other women
  8. na duhyantido not give
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 9.19

    In this verse: “lusty”, “wealth”, “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I expecting greater possessions to give me a satisfaction they cannot provide?

Practice

When you feel an urge to acquire something unnecessary today, pause and spend a minute remembering Kṛṣṇa.

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 10.33.39

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 9.19's connections

Live this todayWealth Cannot Satisfy Lusty DesiresThis 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 9.19.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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