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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 · Text 9.22.8

Who is speaking and story frame

अन्यस्यामपि भार्यायां शकले द्वे बृहद्रथात् ।

ये मात्रा बहिरुत्सृष्टे जरया चाभिसन्धिते ।

जीव जीवेति क्रीडन्त्या जरासन्धोऽभवत् सुत: ॥ ८ ॥

anyasyām api bhāryāyāṁ

śakale dve bṛhadrathāt

ye mātrā bahir utsṛṣṭe

jarayā cābhisandhite

jīva jīveti krīḍantyā

jarāsandho ’bhavat sutaḥ

Translation

Through the womb of another wife, Bṛhadratha begot two halves of a son. When the mother saw those two halves she rejected them, but later a she-demon named Jarā playfully joined them and said, “Come to life, come to life!” Thus the son named Jarāsandha was born.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Jarā Joins the Halves of Jarāsandha

  1. 1

    Through another wife, Bṛhadratha begot two halves of a son.

  2. 2

    When the mother saw the two halves, she rejected them.

  3. 3

    A she-demon named Jarā playfully joined the halves and said, “Come to life, come to life!” Thus Jarāsandha was born.

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 22: The Descendants of Ajamīḍha

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In the dynasty from Bṛhadratha came Kuśāgra, Ṛṣabha, Satyahita, Puṣpavān and Jahu, and from Bṛhadratha through the womb of another wife came Jarāsandha, who was followed by Sahadeva, Somāpi and Śrutaśravā. Parīkṣi, the son of Kuru, had no sons.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. anyasyāmin another
  2. apialso
  3. bhāryāyāmwife
  4. śakaleparts
  5. dvetwo
  6. bṛhadrathātfrom Bṛhadratha
  7. yewhich two parts
  8. mātrāby the mother
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 9.22

    In this verse: “mother”

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

Can I retell this unusual birth while keeping to the details given?

Practice

Summarize Jarāsandha’s birth in three short sentences, without adding details.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayJarā Joins the Halves of JarāsandhaThis 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 9.22.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.