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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 9.20.24-26

Who is speaking and story frame

चक्रं दक्षिणहस्तेऽस्य पद्मकोशोऽस्य पादयो: ।

ईजे महाभिषेकेण सोऽभिषिक्तोऽधिराड् विभु: ॥ २४ ॥

पञ्चपञ्चाशता मेध्यैर्गङ्गायामनु वाजिभि: ।

मामतेयं पुरोधाय यमुनामनु च प्रभु: ॥ २५ ॥

अष्टसप्ततिमेध्याश्वान् बबन्ध प्रददद् वसु ।

भरतस्य हि दौष्मन्तेरग्नि: साचीगुणे चित: ।

सहस्रं बद्वशो यस्मिन् ब्राह्मणा गा विभेजिरे ॥ २६ ॥

cakraṁ dakṣiṇa-haste ’sya

padma-kośo ’sya pādayoḥ

īje mahābhiṣekeṇa

so ’bhiṣikto ’dhirāḍ vibhuḥ

pañca-pañcāśatā medhyair

gaṅgāyām anu vājibhiḥ

māmateyaṁ purodhāya

yamunām anu ca prabhuḥ

aṣṭa-saptati-medhyāśvān

babandha pradadad vasu

bharatasya hi dauṣmanter

agniḥ sācī-guṇe citaḥ

sahasraṁ badvaśo yasmin

brāhmaṇā gā vibhejire

Translation

Mahārāja Bharata, the son of Duṣmanta, had the mark of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s disc on the palm of his right hand, and he had the mark of a lotus whorl on the soles of his feet. By worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead with a grand ritualistic ceremony, he became the emperor and master of the entire world. Then, under the priesthood of Māmateya, Bhṛgu Muni, he performed fifty-five horse sacrifices on the bank of the Ganges, beginning from its mouth and ending at its source, and seventy-eight horse sacrifices on the bank of the Yamunā, beginning from the confluence at Prayāga and ending at the source. He established the sacrificial fire on an excellent site, and he distributed great wealth to the brāhmaṇas. Indeed, he distributed so many cows that each of thousands of brāhmaṇas had one badva [13,084] as his share.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Is This Age’s Sacrifice

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Bharata worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead through grand sacrifices and distributed great wealth to the brāhmaṇas. Work should be performed as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu; otherwise it binds one to this material world.

  2. 2

    Such horse sacrifices cannot be performed in this age because sufficient riches and qualified brāhmaṇas are lacking. The scriptures instead recommend saṅkīrtana-yajña, the congregational chanting inaugurated by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

  3. 3

    Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa can be performed anywhere and fulfills the purposes of yajña. The purport urges people to refrain from illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling, and to chant in a pure state of existence.

Key points from the purport
  • As indicated here by the words dauṣmanter agniḥ sācī-guṇe citaḥ, Bharata, the son of Mahārāja Duṣmanta, arranged for many ritualistic ceremonies all over the world, especially all over India on the banks of the Ganges and Yamunā, from the mouth to the source, and all such sacrifices were performed in very distinguished places.
  • Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has taken charge of introducing the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa all over the world.
  • In conclusion, therefore, in this Age of Kali people all over the world should refrain from the four principles of sinful life — illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling — and in a pure state of existence should perform the simple yajña of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

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· 2

The purport of SB 9.20.24-26 quotesBG 3.9

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (3.9), yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ: “Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise work binds one to this material world.”

The purport of SB 9.20.24-26 quotesSB 11.5.32

“In this Age of Kali, people endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña.”

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

Historical movement → Anticipation. The narrative narrows toward its divine center.

Chapters 20–24 of Canto 9: Lineages leading to the appearance of Kṛṣṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 20: The Dynasty of Pūru

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He performed many great sacrifices, in which he gave great riches in charity to the brāhmaṇas. This chapter ends by describing the birth of Bharadvāja and how Mahārāja Bharata accepted Bharadvāja as his son.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.20
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. cakramthe mark of Kṛṣṇa’s disc
  2. dakṣiṇa-hasteon the palm of the right hand
  3. asyaof him (Bharata)
  4. padma-kośaḥthe mark of the whorl of a lotus
  5. asyaof him
  6. pādayoḥon the soles of the feet
  7. ījeworshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  8. mahā-abhiṣekeṇaby a grand Vedic ritualistic ceremony
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 9.20

    In this verse: “worshiping”, “worshiped”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 9.20

    In this verse: “wealth”, “material”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 9.20

    In this verse: “emperor”

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 could you make chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa a simple, regular part of your worship?

Practice

Invite someone to chant with you today: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

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.

Live this todayChanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Is This Age’s SacrificeThis 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 9.20.24-26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.