1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter

Canto

Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 3: The Marriage of Sukanyā and Cyavana Muni

9.3.6 9.3.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.3.7

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.3.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सुकन्या प्राह पितरं भीता किञ्चित् कृतं मया ।

द्वे ज्योतिषी अजानन्त्या निर्भिन्ने कण्टकेन वै ॥ ७ ॥

sukanyā prāha pitaraṁ

bhītā kiñcit kṛtaṁ mayā

dve jyotiṣī ajānantyā

nirbhinne kaṇṭakena vai

Translation

Being very much afraid, the girl Sukanyā said to her father: I have done something wrong, for I have ignorantly pierced these two luminous substances with a thorn.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Admitting Wrong Even When Afraid

1
Sukanyā was very much afraid when she spoke to her father.
2
She plainly admitted, “I have done something wrong.”
3
She explained that she had ignorantly pierced the two luminous substances with a thorn.

How it feels

Change → Acceptance. The instability of worldly identities is a recurring premise.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 9: Dynastic origins and domestic transformations. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 3: The Marriage of Sukanyā and Cyavana Muni

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

There Sukanyā saw two glowing substances within a hole of earthworms, and by chance she pierced those two glowing substances. As soon as she did this, blood began to ooze from that hole.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 9.3

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

sukanyāthe girl Sukanyā
prāhasaid
pitaramunto her father
bhītābeing afraid
kiñcitsomething
kṛtamhas been done
mayāby me
dvetwo

Key ideas in this verse

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

Īśānukathā · The science of God
Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10
Abhaya · Fearlessness
Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 9.3
In this verse: “afraid”
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 9.3
In this verse: “father”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Does fear keep me from honestly acknowledging a mistake?

Practice

If you have an unacknowledged mistake, admit it plainly to the person concerned.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAdmitting Wrong Even When AfraidThis 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 9.3.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories